Class 
Book 



HANDBOOKS OF PRACTICAL GARDENING 
EDITED BY HARRY ROBERTS 



THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



THE BOOK OF 
THE GREENHOUSE 

WITH A SPECIAL CHAPTER ON 
THE LITTLE TOWN GREENHOUSE 



J. C. TALLACK, F.R.H.S. 

HEAD GARDENER AT SHIPLEY HALL 



<?3 7 




JOHN LANE 

LONDON AND NEW YORK 
1901 




Printed by Turnhtll &* Spear!, Edinburgh. 



EDITOR'S NOTE 

This book, like the other books in the present series, 
is the work of a practical gardener, Mr Tallack having 
been engaged in horticultural work during most of his 
adult life. Born a Cornishman, he served his apprentice- 
ship in the once celebrated gardens of Canon Philpotts, 
of Porthquidden, where the glass department was a 
feature. Having gained further experience at Wymyard 
Park, Durham, Luton Hoo Park, Bedfordshire, and 
elsewhere, he obtained his first head-gardenership at 
Prideaux Place, Padstow,- where he effected many im- 
provements. Having meanwhile been engaged for two 
years in landscape-work with Messrs. Veitch, he then for 
twelve years took charge of the gardens at Livermere 
Park, Suffolk. He is now in command of the well known 
midland garden at Shipley Hall, Derby, in which the 
glass houses are many and important. 

For some years Mr Tallack lectured on Horticulture 
under the Suffolk County Council, and he has been a 
regular contributor to The Garden and other gardening 
papers for the past twenty years. He is an enthusiastic 
gardener, and has been awarded the Knightian and 
Banksian medals of the Royal Horticultural Society. 

The Editor acknowledges with thanks the courtesy 
of Messrs. Veitch, the distinguished florists of the Royal 
Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, in permitting- the illustration 
of their plants, Maranta Major and Dracaena, the Sirdar 5 
and also the kindness of Messrs Messenger, the well 
known horticultural builders of Loughborough, for per- 
mission to illustrate some of their structural work. 



vii 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 



Editor's Note . . ..... vii 

Structural ....... i 

Hardwooded Plants for the Greenhouse . . .10 

General . . . . . . .10 

Specific . . . . . . .18 

Climbers and Basket Plants . . . . .31 

bllbs for the greenhouse . . . . 38 

Greenhouse Plants from Seeds . . . , • 55 

Miscellaneous Greenhouse Plants . . . .67 

Foluge Plants for the Greenhouse . . . .86 

The Little Town Greenhouse . . . . .96 

Conclusion . . . . . . .102 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



Study of Abutilon (from a drawing by Ethel Roskruge) 
Ventilation by means of Framed Light; 
Lead Bar Glazing 
Heating Apparatus 
Azalea, Madame Van der Cruyssen 
Acacia Ovata 
Cytisus Racemosus 
Erica Candidissima 
Eriostemon Neriifolius 
Deutzia Gracilis 
Cineraria Hybrida 
Cyclamen Persicum 
Hydrangea Hortensis . 
Dracaena, The Sirdar . 
cordyline ind1visa 
Maranta Major 



PAGE 

Frontispiece 
2 

5 
7 

i3 
■9 
2 3 
29 
4i 
5* 
57 
63 

77 
87 
9 1 
97 



xi 



THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



CHAPTER I 

STRUCTURAL 

No garden can be considered complete or satisfying to 
its possessor, unless it contain a greenhouse in which 
may be cultivated beautiful -flowers and plants that are 
impossible in this country without the aid of glass and 
protection. To the plant lover, one or more of such 
structures will, if well placed, well fitted, and, especially, 
well filled, be an endless source of pleasure, and peculiarly 
so during the dreary period of the year when plant life 
is more or less dormant in the outside garden. Probably 
most of my readers already possess a greenhouse, but it 
is to those who contemplate adding such a building to 
their possessions that this opening chapter is directed, 
with a hope that the hints which it contains, though 
necessarily in few words, will be helpful. 

The site for a greenhouse should be selected with 
care, bearing in mind that it must be well exposed to 
day-light and, if possible, well sheltered from easterly 
and northerly winds. As a sunk furnace is easier in 
working and less wasteful of fuel than one set on the 
level, the house should stand on fairly high and well 
drained ground, so that there may be no trouble from 
surface water. No trees should overhang or even be 
allowed near enough to the house to shade it at any time 
of day. 

Span-roofed houses, i.e. those with two equal sides to 
the roof, should always be built with the ends facing 

A i 



2 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



north and south, and if one end is formed by an already 
existing wall this should be the north end. Such houses 

are more 
easily man- 
aged, and 
their occu- 
pantsalways 
happier than 
is the case 
with houses 
built from east to west. A 
span-roofed house, built 
sufficiently wide to permit 
of a central stage in addition 
to two narrow side stages, 
is perhaps the very best 
possible form of house, as 
its occupants can always be 
arranged so that they may 
be seen at their best, but, 
where the width is only 
sufficient to admit of two 
side stages with a path 
down the centre, I consider 
the span a wasteful form of 
house and one in which 
plants can never be arranged 
to look well, as, unless the 
house is lofty, the tallest 
plants are perforce brought 
next the eye and the others 
graded away from, instead 
of towards, the path. 
Lean-to houses are those in which the roof takes one 
slope only from back to front. For a position against a 
wall this is the cheapest and perhaps the best form of 




VENTILATION BY MEANS OF FRAMED 
LIGHTS 



STRUCTURAL 



3 



greenhouse. It may be built with any aspect from 
south to west, and for certain purposes, such as the 
cultivation of Ferns, a house of this form facing north 
is most useful. The worst aspect of all is towards the 
east. 

The internal arrangements should consist of a narrow 
front stage, then the path, leaving the biggest space for 
the back stage. This latter may be built in tiers like a 
series of steps if the height of the roof permit, and 
will then present more staging room as well as bring 
the back plants nearer the roof — an important matter in 
plant-growing under glass. 

The Hip-Span is a useful form of house for building 
against a wall too low to suit a lean-to. It is a com- 
bination of the span and the lean-to, the short "hip" 
or span at the back adding height and forming a con- 
venient position for the ventilators. The above forms 
of houses are those most in use, and any departure from 
or combination of them is only carried out for the sake 
of ornament. 

Next in importance to the building itself comes 
the ventilation of the house. Elaborate ventilating 
arrangements are by no means necessary, but provision 
must be made for an ample supply of fresh air when it is 
needed. By an ample supply I do not mean that there is 
need for many different sets of ventilators, for these 
often lead to draughts which are inimical to plant life and 
breeders of mildew. Ample means of admitting air 
must be given at the apex of the roof, and these roof- 
ventilators must be continuous throughout the whole 
length. Those houses which have some of the roof- 
lights fixed and others made to open are sure breeders 
of insect pests, besides endangering the plants beneath 
such fixed lights by scorching. Too much importance 
cannot be placed on the value of ample top ventilation, 
as the air may thus be entirely changed without creating 



4 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



draught. In comparison with the top ventilators, those 
at the sides or bottom of the house are quite unimpor- 
tant ; indeed, many of the best plant growers of the 
present day never use side ventilation at any time, 
reckoning it not only useless but harmful for many 
plants, as it dissipates too readily the natural humidity 
created in a houseful of plants, and which the great 
majority of plants enjoy. Some plants, however, 
prefer a dry atmosphere, and for these side ventilation 
should be arranged and used cautiously : a few small 
sliding shutters placed low down, so that the fresh air 
may feel the influence of the hot water pipes in cold 
weather, will suit the requirements admirably. 

We will now consider the question of the stages or 
benches to be used. This is not the unimportant matter 
that it is often considered to be. I attribute many of the 
failures and the successes largely to the staging arrange- 
ments of the house. The most common method of stag- 
ing plants is to put them on benches formed of narrow 
strips of wood placed an inch or two apart, thus 
having an open space between them. This I consider 
to be quite the worst form of staging, and more especi- 
ally so where the hot water pipes are placed immediately 
beneath such stages, for the fire heat necessary in very 
cold weather does much harm to the root action by over 
drying the pots, and thus killing the tips of tender root- 
lets. Undoubtedly the best of stages are formed by 
good thick slates, as these are always cool and slightly 
absorbent, so that the bottoms of pots standing on them 
never become really dry ; but slates are expensive to 
begin with, and wood does nearly as well provided that 
the boards are placed close enough together to support 
a surfacing of shingle, ashes, or some other covering 
of an absorbent nature. A narrow strip can be nailed 
round these wood benches to retain the inch or so of 
this material. All stages placed over hot water pipes 



STRUCTURAL 



5 



should be carried quite back to the wall on the one side 
and project well beyond the pipes on the side next the 
walk, for heat striking directly on to plants from the 
pipes is the cause of much mischief. 

For propagating purposes, I would suggest that where 
only one greenhouse is possible it should always contain 




LEAD BAR GLAZING 



a propagating box of some kind. This should be fixed 
at a convenient point where it may enclose some portions 
of the hot water pipes, which may then be buried in a 
good depth of cocoanut fibre. This box may be 
a fixture, or may be movable, so that it will only be 
in the house when needed, but it will be found a most 
useful adjunct, and will provide means for raising young 
plants of all descriptions either from seeds or from 
cuttings. 



6 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



Glazing. — I do not propose to enter into much detail 
as to this. Personally, I prefer the system of glazing 
without outside putty, as it appears to be the most drip 
proof system when the houses are well looked after as 
regards painting. One special point must be emphasised 
as regards glazing. This is to use only the best twenty- 
one ounce glass. Inferior glass is a misery to the plant 
grower, the bladders and flaws it contains acting as 
burning glasses, and so giving much trouble. 

Shading. — Protection from the sun during the hottest 
portion of the day is quite necessary for many plants. 
The best way of shading a house is to use roller 
blinds, as these may be run up or down at any time 
according to the weather which prevails. They are also 
useful during the winter as a slight protection from frost 
and as a saving of fire heat. Blinds are, however, some- 
what expensive items, for exposure to all weathers causes 
them to perish quickly. Roller blinds made from laths 
or narrow strips of wood are not to my mind so effective 
as they were at one time considered to be. 

The cheapest method of shading consists in painting 
the glass with whitening mixed with milk, or with the very 
useful mixture known and sold as " Summer Cloud." For 
the grower who cannot always be on the spot, something 
that is to a certain extent permanent during the summer 
months is necessary, and these washes provide a cheap 
and effective shade. The objection to them is that they 
are on in dull as well as in fine weather, but this is 
counterbalanced by the fact that they are always on the 
spot when needed, and this cannot always be said of 
movable blinds however careful one may be. 

Heating.— The heating of greenhouses has gone through 
many phases during the past half century, but I think that 
at last we may claim to have a really good system in 
the use of hot water for the purpose. It is a matter for 
congratulation that the old system of using hot air flues 



8 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



has almost disappeared, as these flues were almost always 
a nuisance ; they cooled quickly if the fire went low, were 
often difficult to heat, and, worst of all, they were prone 
to leakage, and once the sulphurous fumes got through 
to the house, they meant death to the plants. I should 
not have mentioned the flue system of heating at all, did 
I not know that flues are to some extent used even 
now, and sometimes advocated for their cheapness. On 
the whole, we have nothing yet to supersede hot water 
when driven by a good boiler through a sufficiency of 
4-in. pipes. Steam heating is quicker in action, but 
requires more attention from the one in charge, and it 
is not so manageable as hot water, especially for houses 
small in size and in number. 

Dealing, then, with ordinary hot water heating, it is 
necessary to success that the boiler be set well beneath 
the level of the house, that the pipes be so fixed that 
they have a continuous rise in the upper or flow pipe 
from the point of connection with the boiler to the point 
farthest away from it, and that the under or return 
pipe have a corresponding fall from the highest point 
reached back to the boiler again, which it should enter 
near the bottom. Speaking generally, the greater the 
rise the better the circulation must be. It sometimes 
happens that a doorway or some other obstruction 
engenders a wish to allow a " dip" at some particular 
point, but to do this will be fatal to successful cir- 
culation. "Where two or more houses are connected 
with the same system of piping, valves should be 
put in the pipes so that the heat may be wholly or 
partially shut off when not wanted in a particular 
house or compartment. An air-tap should be connected 
to the pipe at the highest point so that any accumula- 
tion of air that would stop the circulation may be 
expelled at this point. 

The heating arrangements of a greenhouse must of 



STRUCTURAL 



9 



course be governed to some extent by the class of plant it 
is to contain. Cool house plants, and even so-called hardy 
plants, when grown in pots, must have some fire heat 
in winter. For such things two rows of 4-in. piping 
running lengthwise and across one end of the house 
would be sufficient. For the warmer greenhouse four 
rows of 4-in. piping traversing the same distance would 
be necessary. An approximate estimate is that I foot 
of 4-in. piping will heat moderately 30 cubic feet of 
space, but it should be borne in mind that it is far better 
to have too much than too little piping, as the heat given 
off to keep up a given temperature will be less fiery and 
injurious in proportion to' the additional piping used. 
In choosing the boiler do not be misled into getting one 
that is too small for its work. Allow a broad margin 
beyond the maker's estimate of size necessary to heat a 
given quantity of piping. A new boiler well fixed and 
driven hard by constant attention may do all that is 
claimed for it at first, but will not continue to do so for 
long without more attention than one is prepared to 
give it. In any case, the amount of necessary attention is 
less with a fairly big boiler than it is with a small one. 

The Garden Frame. — An indispensable companion to 
the greenhouse is the portable garden frame. Under 
good management it will never be empty for long to- 
gether, and will act as a feeder to the greenhouse 
proper, for in it can be raised and " grown on" plants 
innumerable, which will in their turn help to embellish 
the more pretentious structure. Its several uses will be 
mentioned as I deal with the cultivation of plants in 
other chapters, and this must serve as an apology for 
so briefly dismissing it in this. 



CHAPTER II 



Hard- Wooded Plants for the Greenhouse 

As a preface to the cultural portion of this little treatise 
I should like to say that it will be impossible to deal in 
a satisfactory way, in the space at my disposal, with all 
or even with a large portion of true greenhouse plants, 
as the result of so doing would be to compile something 
scarcely better than a catalogue, and of little, if any, 
value to the reader. I propose, therefore, to deal in 
a general way with the management of the various 
sections, each section as a unit, and to particularise 
only in the case of plants which are fairly common in 
cultivation and such as the great majority of plant 
lovers would wish to grow. I regret that many charm- 
ing species will thus be left unmentioned and must be 
sought for in works of greater pretension. 

Hard-wooded plants, so called, are mostly of bush 
shape and shrubby habit, though many climbers are 
also included in this section. Familiar examples of 
plants comprised under this heading are Azaleas, 
Ericas (Heaths), Camellias, Cytisus (Genistas), Epacris, 
Boronias and Daphnes. A few years ago one would 
have included many more as familiar plants, but un- 
fortunately the easy culture of the many soft-wooded 
plants has led to the discarding of plants more beauti- 
ful, when seen at their best, than many of the favourites 
of to-day. 

Hard-wooded plants as just implied are as a class a 
little difficult to grow well ; for, though some few of 

IO 



HARD-WOODED PLANTS 



them will bear a certain amount of rough treatment and 
neglect, they can only be well grown when all their 
wants are carefully attended to. The majority have 
small hair-like roots which, though numerous, have no 
great capacity for storing moisture, hence some of the 
difficulties of their culture for, if over-watered, the roots 
cannot assimilate the surplus quickly and the soil under 
its influence turns sour, while, on the other hand, if 
allowed to become dry, the tiny tips of the roots wither 
and are not easily or quickly replaced — indeed, plants 
of some species never recover from the effects of being 
allowed to get thoroughly dry. Most of the plants in 
this section like a peaty soil, the majority succeeding 
well in a mixture of two-thirds fibrous peat, one-third 
fibrous loam and sufficient silver sand to make the 
mixture feel thoroughly gritty when handled. It is 
not necessary to repot every year, indeed with care 
in management several years may elapse between the 
pottings, but when it has to be done, either through 
a noticeable want of vigour in the older plants or from 
a desire to grow younger ones on into fine specimens as 
soon as may be, special care is needed in carrying out 
the work in all details. Clean pots must be used ; if 
the insides be left dirty the new roots will stick fast 
and be wrenched off at the next potting. The new 
pots should not greatly exceed in size those from which 
the plants are to be transferred. No new pot should 
be used until it has been soaked in water for a few 
hours and allowed to get dry again. 

Drainage should be thorough : this does not imply an 
excessive use of crocks, but rather that those used 
should be well placed in the pots and covered with a 
little of the toughest fibre that can be selected from the 
soil heap and freed from all fine particles. Previously 
to being turned out of the old pot, the plant to be 
operated on should be watered just long enough to 



12 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



allow of the soil being in that nice condition known 
as neither wet nor dry, and the new soil should be 
in about the same condition, i.e., damp enough to 
bind together when rammed, yet not so wet as to 
become pasty with ramming. Sufficient new soil should 
be put into the new pot to elevate the ball of soil 
and roots attached to the plant, which has been 
previously freed from the old drainage material, high 
enough to prevent any portion of the stem which has 
hitherto been uncovered from becoming buried in the 
process of potting, as to bury the " collars" of these 
plants is generally injurious and often fatal to them. 
Some of the more delicate species, indeed, do better 
and live longer when the " collar" is left slightly higher 
than the surrounding soil. To complete the potting 
in a workmanlike way the old ball of soil should be 
placed exactly centrally, so that there may be an equal 
distribution of new soil all round it, and this should be 
put in a little at a time, each successive layer being well 
rammed home, leaving no crevices, until the potting is 
complete. Potting should take place at a time when 
the roots have resumed activity after a slight rest. 
This will in most cases be when the new growth, made 
after flowering, has been perceptible for two or three 
weeks. As the period of growth varies according to 
the different species and their time of flowering, no 
particular period can be mentioned, except that it is 
some time during spring or early summer. 

Most of the plants in this section are essentially what 
are known as cool greenhouse plants and are very im- 
patient of fire heat at any time. This, combined with 
their inability to withstand frost, renders their cultiva- 
tion a matter of careful watching and solicitude on the 
part of the grower. In the winter, the temperature of 
the house may safely be allowed to fall within a very 
few degrees of freezing point, when the outside tempera- 



HARD-WOODED PLANTS 



ture is very low ; this will be far better than firing up 
to maintain the 45 which is considered to be the regula- 
tion minimum temperature in normal weather. At all 
times there should be ventilation, and even in frosty- 
weather some air should be admitted through the top 
ventilators, indeed, when the weather is mild, full venti- 
lation from all points, short of creating great draught, 
ought to be provided, the only time when one can 
permit oneself a little license in the way of keeping 
the plants somewhat closer than usual being just for 
a week or two after they are potted, to encourage 
root growth. It must always be remembered that the 
new annual growth must be given full opportunity 
of becoming well ripened before winter, and this 
cannot happen in a close atmosphere. During the 
brightest weather of the spring and summer months, 
a light shade may be necessary ; but full advantage of 
the autumn sunlight should be taken to ripen up the 
newly made growth. In some cases it is an advantage 
to put the plants in the open air during autumn, plung- 
ing the pots in ashes to prevent the roots from parching, 
and to leave them out while the weather remains fine 
and mild ; but they must on no account be left out in 
continuous rain. 

With regard to watering, sufficient has been already 
said as to the care which should always govern opera- 
tions. Plants must not be allowed to be dry for long 
together, neither must they be watered before they 
have reached that stage of dryness at which water is 
needed. No exact rule can be laid down to indicate 
when a plant should be watered, and experience is the 
only safe guide to the requirements in this way ; the 
gaining of this experience being the one great stumbling 
block which stands in the way of the would-be grower 
of hard-wooded plants. A fairly safe test is, however, 
the old fashioned one of tapping each pot with the 



1 6 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



knuckles. If the result is but a dull response, such as 
one would get from tapping any solid body, no water 
is required ; but if a hollow or slightly ringing sound 
be produced, then the time for watering has come. 
Should the ringing be accentuated, the plant should be 
plunged in a pail of water and left there for a few minutes 
to absorb as much as it can and to allow the water to 
reach the middle of the ball, dryness of which is not 
easily remedied by giving water in the usual way 
through the spout of a watering-pot. The avoidance 
of such excessive dryness as this, however, should be 
one of the chief cares with the grower, as fatal results 
of such neglect are to be expected. 

Many hard-wooded plants being averse to lime in any 
form, provision should always be made for a supply of 
soft water, and if this is not sufficient for all the plants 
grown in the greenhouse it should be specially reserved 
for those of this class. 

Overhead syringing is not often necessary, though for 
a time, during the early period of new growth, a dewing 
of soft water appears beneficial, and the plants certainly 
seem to thrive under the influence of the heavy night 
dews which they experience during fine weather when 
growing in the open air. 

Insect pests do not as a rule give much trouble to 
hard-wooded plants which are well looked after and well 
treated, but there are some which trouble certain plants, 
as for instance : Thrips are partial to Azaleas, Scale in 
variety to Camellias, White Scale to Neriums (Oleanders), 
Red Spider to Pimelias, and some of these plants have a 
common enemy in them all. Needless to say, the plants 
cannot thrive under attacks from these pests which sap 
their life blood and choke their pores with filth. In 
the matter of dealing with insect pests, however, the 
present day grower lives in comparative joy, for science 
during the past few years has produced many insecticides 



HARD-WOODED PLANTS 



'7 



that enable us to cope with the enemies to plant life by 
safer and more effective methods than any that were 
formerly in vogue, and there is now but little excuse 
for dirty and insect-ridden plants. 

When ventilation has been insufficient and the outer 
atmosphere foggy, Mildew becomes a great enemy to 
many hard-wooded plants, notably to Heaths, and as it is 
very insidious in its attacks it should be carefully looked 
for. A speck or two of decay among the tiny leaves 
of Heaths, or a white mould on larger leaved things 
will, if unchecked, soon develop alarming proportions. 
Directly such signs are seen, the plants, and especially 
the affected parts, should be dusted freely with Flowers of 
Sulphur, which is an effective antidote to Mildews. A 
sulphur duster or puff should always be at hand in the 
greenhouse, and its use never put off when required. 

Hard-wooded plants are but rarely propagated in 
private places. Nurserymen have greater conveniences 
for this work and can carry it out in bulk, so that each 
batch of cuttings or seedlings may get exactly what is 
needed at all times. As this is not possible in a private 
place and as the process of raising these plants is a slow 
one in any case, it is always best to commence by buying 
established plants of fair size which will give a quick 
return in the way of flowers. Buying them when in 
flower is not, however, the best way. They should 
be bought long enough before flowering to get 
acclimatised in their new home. 



CHAPTER III 



Hard-Wooded Plants for the Greenhouse— 

continued 

Turning now from generalities that may be applied to 
most plants in this section, I propose to give as fully as 
may be the details of treatment suited to each genus 
among those selected as being the most popular and 
most useful, and will begin with the 

Acacias. — Though most of these develop into trees or 
big bushes in their native habitat, a few are amenable 
to pot culture, and can be maintained in a small state as 
free-flowering bushes. They are easily cultivated, and 
flower mostly in spring, when their innumerable tiny 
yellow balls are greatly appreciated. Those of which 
I give the names below may be well grown in small 
pots, and are therefore the most serviceable. The 
simple details of culture consist in giving cool green- 
house treatment in winter, allowing during that period a 
rather limited supply of water, pruning the plant into 
shape after flowering, potting if necessary soon after 
new growth begins, and putting them out of doors in a 
sunny spot during summer, throughout which period 
the supply of water must be ample. The soil for 
Acacias should be two-thirds loam, one-third leaf mould, 
and plenty of sand. A. armata, of which bushy little 
plants profusely flowered and sweetly scented may be 
grown in 6-in. pots. A. lineata, A. Drummondii and A. 
ovata are all good. 

Azaleas. — In these we have a genus of plants which, 

18 



ACACIA OVATA 



HARD-WOODED PLANTS 21 



taken as a whole, is more valuable than any other in the 
greenhouse. The Indian or Chinese section is the one 
to which the name of " greenhouse Azaleas" applies 
most fully, but the Ghent and Mollis types, the little 
A. amoena, which has proved so valuable for hybridising 
purposes, and the double flowered A. balsamctflora all 
have their special value, and must not be omitted. The 
culture is similar to that laid down in chap. ii. for 
general guidance, but the Azalea will stand some 
artificial heat during the period of making growth ; the 
Ghent, Mollis and Amoena varieties will bear consider- 
able forcing, and provide a blaze of colour during the 
late winter and spring months. During the warmer 
parts of the year, the plants delight in being syringed 
daily. The best time for potting is soon after flowering, 
but many of these plants are allowed to go for years 
without potting, and still keep in good health. With the 
Indian section no pruning is necessary beyond the shorten- 
ing of a strong growth which promises to destroy the bal- 
ance of the plant and the removal of very weak shoots. 
This should be done directly the plants have flowered, 
and at the same time all old flowers and seed pods should 
be picked off. Small plants may be put into the garden 
frame during summer, and the larger ones may be stood 
out for a few weeks during the early autumn, and 
brought in again on the approach of frosty nights. 

Boronias. — Though not showy as to their flowers, 
Boronias are greatly appreciated in the greenhouse from 
the exquisite perfume they emit during the flowering 
period which lasts over several weeks, one plant being 
sufficient to fill a large house with its fragrance. The 
general treatment advised will be found satisfactory, 
but to it must be added an extra caution with respect 
to watering, as the plant is quite impatient of an excess, 
and for this reason it should always be grown under 
cover, so that heavy rains may not reach it. 



22 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



Camellias. — The stately if somewhat formal looking 
Camellia is known to all, and when well grown it makes 
one of the handsomest shrubs in existence. Its proper 
place is planted out in the border of a greenhouse or 
conservatory, but it may also be well grown in pots. 
As its roots are stouter than those of most hard-wooded 
plants it requires rather different treatment. At no 
time does it like to be dry, and plants well set with buds 
will take a lot of water, varied occasionally with liquid 
manure, during the time they are swelling. Plants 
allowed to get dry at the root often drop their buds. 
During spring and summer they like shade enough 
to prevent the leaves from scalding. Potting is best 
done just as the annual growth has reached its full 
length and before the buds become prominent. Annual 
potting is not necessary. Plants that set a heavy crop 
of flower buds should be disbudded, leaving but one 
bud or, in the case of really strong plants, two buds to 
a shoot, selecting the largest and the smallest to give 
a succession of flowers. Camellias require but little 
pruning and it should be remembered that cutting back 
a shoot deprives the plant of flowers from the resulting 
growths for one year. The best growth buds, and the 
only ones which will produce flowering shoots for the 
following season, are found immediately below the 
flowers, and by the time the latter drop the former are 
quite prominent. If the plants are moved out of doors 
during the late summer, they should be put in a shady 
spot at the north side of a wall, as pot plants do not like 
being set in full sun. 

Cytisus. — C. racemosus is the " Genista 5 ' of the markets 
and of the general public. It is a universal favourite 
and a handsome plant when covered with its bright 
yellow flowers in spring. It is one of the easiest of 
greenhouse plants to grow and thrives best in a compost 
of about two-thirds loam and the rest either peat or 



HARD-WOODED PLANTS 



good leaf mould, with some sand. It requires a con- 
siderable quantity of water during the spring and 
summer months. Its three antipathies are shade, 
artificial heat, and a close muggy atmosphere. A 
very few days in the latter will cause the plants to 
lose their leaves. After flowering they should be 
hardened for a week or two by exposure and a lessened 
water supply, they may then be hard pruned into shape, 
allowed to break into growth under glass, then turned 
out and repotted, reducing the balls of soil slightly, so 
that they will not need over large pots. From the time 
that the roots have resumed action until quite late in the 
autumn the plants should be .grown entirely in the open 
air. The Genista does not care much for manure of any 
kind, but an occasional watering with clear water taken 
from a barrel in which a coarse bag of soot has been 
immersed will be very beneficial and give the plants a 
healthy appearance, and a dark green colour. 

Dapkfie indica. — The exquisite perfume of this, like 
that of the Boronia, is perhaps its greatest charm, 
though a well grown plant is, when in flower, an object 
of great beauty. Unfortunately, well grown plants are 
rare and the Daphne is considered, with good reason, 
to be among the difficult plants to manage well. The 
best plants I have grown were potted in fibrous loam 
mixed very freely with sea-sand. A rather close corner 
of the greenhouse should be allotted to it, for it does 
not like draught neither does it do well if exposed to 
a great amount of sunlight, and it should never be put 
outside to ripen its wood. It dislikes the knife and, 
beyond being pinched once or twice while young to 
develop a bushy habit, jt should never be pruned, for 
pruning cuts away the strongest growth buds, and those 
which develop from back breaks are mostly weak and 
remain so. Once a plant falls into bad health it seldom 
recovers. A healthy plant may remain in the same pot 



26 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



for years. The leaves should be frequently washed 
either by syringing, which the plant likes during 
summer, or by sponging during winter. 

Epacris. — These Australian Heaths make very pretty 
little plants ; they greatly resemble the true Heaths but 
are stirrer in habit and bear hard pruning year after 
year, so that they may be kept as small bushes even 
when they are many years old. Their bright sprays of 
different coloured bells are produced in winter without 
forcing and, as they last well when cut, may be used 
for house decoration. Being rather delicate in root 
action great care in watering is necessary. When the 
plants go out of flower, cut back the shoots to about an 
inch above the previous year's pruning. Keep in a fairly 
close atmosphere for a few weeks and repot in fibrous 
peat and sand when the new shoots are an inch long. 
Do not let the roots be exposed to the air for any length 
of time. About the end of July, plunge in ashes in a 
cold frame, where the lights can be drawn off in nice 
weather or, if no frame be at liberty, put them outside 
in a position where they may have some covering in 
case of heavy rains. In pruning, all weak shoots should 
be cut out entirely. When under glass keep the plants 
well up to the light. 

Ericas, — -These, the true Heaths, are very similar to the 
foregoing in their requirements. A great point in their 
culture is to keep the plants free from mildew, which 
is their great natural enemy under glass. Some Ericas 
flower in winter, and others at various times through 
spring and summer, so that their general treatment must 
be varied accordingly. They are divided into two 
classes, viz., the hard-wooded and the soft-wooded. 
The latter may be hard pruned like the Epacris, but the 
hard-wooded sections will not bear this, and any 
pruning done to them should be but slight, some 
requiring none at all, being of a naturally bushy habit. 



HARD-WOODED PLANTS 27 



Only peat and sand should be used in the potting, and, 
until the plants have reached their limit in size of pot, 
this should be done annually, for if the roots have 
become much matted together from long neglect they 
do not take kindly to new soil. 

Nerium Oleander. — This is generally known to most 
people by its latter name alone. It is a plant that many 
try to grow, but it often fails from one or other of two 
causes, viz., either from being allowed to become a 
prey to insect pests, to which it is sadly prone, or to a 
want of ripeness in the wood. The Nerium is essentially 
a lover of the open air and sunshine. The former it 
cannot always have, as it is not hardy, but it should 
spend all the warm portion of the year outside, and have 
a light position at all other times. It . is also a plant 
that likes to be well fed, enjoying a good rich loam, 
with decayed manure and sand, and frequent waterings 
with manure water. It need only be pruned when it 
has grown out of bounds, and then it should be hard cut 
back in spring. This will cause the loss of a season's 
flowers, but will rejuvenate the plant. Water freely 
during summer, but give very little during the winter 
months. 

Lesche?iaultla. — This genus deserves special mention as 
containing, in L. blloba major, probably the best really 
blue flowered greenhouse plant we have, and one of the 
prettiest of plants when well grown. It is a delicate 
rooted little plant and should not be put in the open 
air at any time, but exposed to sunlight in the cool 
greenhouse during autumn and winter. No loam should 
be used in the potting soil which should consist entirely 
of fibrous peat and sand. All the precautions mentioned 
in the general hints for hard-wooded plants should be 
observed in dealing with this, and it well deserves the 
trouble entailed. 

Pimelia. — One of the most free flowering of green- 



28 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



house plants and always a favourite. It should be 
grown freely and well watered during summer as it 
is subject to red spider if allowed to get at all dry, and 
to keep this insect within bounds, the plants should be 
well and frequently syringed. But little pruning should 
be done when once the plants have assumed the required 
shape ; all that is necessary in this way being to cut off 
the flower heads when they pass out of bloom, as the 
strongest and best shoots come from the upper portion 
of the previous year's growth. 

Rhododendrons. — Greenhouse species of Rhododendron 
afford very handsome plants, the treatment of which 
nearly resembles that of the Azalea. Many of them 
grow into big plants unsuited to the small house, but a 
section that has been much developed during the past 
decade or two is that of the Javanese. These are 
slow growing plants which may be kept in rather 
small pots and which flower more or less all the year 
round. These Javanese forms require more than the 
ordinary greenhouse heat and do best in the inter- 
mediate house. Scarcely any pruning is necessary 
further than to shorten a branch now and then for the 
sake of symmetry. 




ERICA CANDIDISS1MA 



CHAPTER IV 



Climbers and Basket Plants 

These are useful in the greenhouse in many ways. 
Climbers if well looked after afford an efficient shade 
to the plants grown beneath them, and make an attrac- 
tive feature in themselves, clothing, as they do, the 
broad expanse of glass and woodwork with graceful 
growth and, in many cases, charming flowers. Many 
of them can only be grown well in fairly large houses, 
for they grow too rampantly to be confined by narrow 
limits. Among those named later will, however, be 
found some suitable for houses of any size, and they 
comprise the best that can be selected for the purpose. 
Pillars and rafters may be clothed with the more moderate 
growers among climbing plants, and for this purpose, 
too, many plants not strictly belonging to the climbers 
may be enlisted, as, for instance, some of the stronger 
growing fuchsias which are delightful and easy to grow. 

Speaking generally, the methods of treating flowering 
climbers is to allow them a considerable amount of 
latitude as to growth during the summer months, and 
to cut them back fairly hard during winter, laying in 
just a thin sprinkling of the long shoots made during the 
previous summer, and cutting out all that can be spared 
of the old wood. The majority of these plants should 
be planted out in prepared stations in suitable positions 
in the borders. They mostly do well in ordinary loamy 
soil mixed with finely broken mortar rubbish or common 
sand to keep the soil open, drainage being of course pro- 

31 



32 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



vided under each station. The lovely Lapageria rosea 
and its varieties, however, require to be grown almost 
entirely in peat and sand. This is probably the hand- 
somest greenhouse climber of moderate growth which 
we have, and to add to its value I may say that it is 
almost hardy and may be well grown in the coolest and 
shadiest of greenhouses with great success when once it 
has become established, but it should not be planted in 
a sunny position, and it requires a bountiful supply of 
water. It sometimes happens in small greenhouses that 
there are no conveniences for planting out climbing 
plants, and where this is the case I strongly recommend 
that basket culture of suitable plants should be sub- 
stituted. Of course there are not many climbers that 
will adapt themselves to this treatment, but fortunately 
we have a few, and among these Asparagus Sprengeri 
is the best. Other varieties of climbing asparagus are 
also good for the purpose, but the one named is so easy 
to grow and makes such a perfect canopy when the long 
and light growths are trained over wires and allowed to 
droop at the ends that it cannot be surpassed. Planted 
in good rich soil in sixteen-inch baskets hung almost close 
up to the roof of a span-roofed house, the growths may 
be trained out laterally for four feet or five feet on either 
side, and will still be long enough to droop and complete 
a perfect archway of the most delicate greenery imagin- 
able. Other useful basket plants are the Achimenes 
(warm greenhouse), Fuchsia procumbens ', very attractive 
during the winter, and ferns in variety, including many 
Adiantums, Nephro/epis, and Davallias. 

Coming back to the climbers proper I give a selection 
from the best, with a few cultural details where 
necessary. 

Clematis. — Among the clematises many, though 
thoroughly hardy, are grown under glass, but the most 
useful as a greenhouse climber is a half hardy species, 



CLIMBERS AND BASKET PLANTS 33 



C. indivisa, or its variety, C. indvuisa lobata, the foliage 
of which is better in form, though the flowers are the 
same. The latter are pure white borne in panicles in 
April where cool treatment is given, but the plant is 
amenable to forcing, and may be had in flower at any 
time during the first four months of the year. The 
plant requires no special treatment. Only the weakest 
growths should be thinned out during winter, the rest 
being left their full length, as this Clematis flowers on 
the young wood of the previous year. If growing out 
of bounds it may be cut back reasonably hard immediately 
after flowering, and then allowed to grow away freely, 
the new growths being induced to ripen by keeping 
them well up to the light. 

Cobaa scandens. — This remarkably free growing 
plant is a favourite with gardeners because of its 
hardiness and general thriftiness under difficulties. 
The typical plant has green leaves, but the most orna- 
mental form is the variegated one in which the leaves 
are heavily margined with yellow. The Cobaea delights 
in a rich soil in which it grows almost too freely, but 
it may be kept within bounds by an occasional use of the 
knife or scissors. Once a year, either during autumn or 
winter, it should be pruned well back both for its own 
good and for the good of things growing beneath it. 
It has the merit of keeping fairly free from insects. 

Ficus repens. — This is grown as a covering for bare 
walls to which it clings like ivy, and forms a complete 
flat mass of small deep green leaves. It grows best in 
good loam with which some leaf mould or fine peat may 
be mixed, and lime rubble or finely broken brick makes 
a good addition to keep it porous. Small plants are 
sometimes stubborn in starting away into growth, but 
once they begin, they grow rapidly and soon cover a 
large space. Once or twice a year shoots that hang 
loose should be cut away, leaving a flat surface. 

c 



34 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



Habrothamnus (Cestrum). — Of this there are two species 
well worth growing, viz. H. Newe/Ii, with bright 
crimson flowers, and H. aurantiacus, in which the flowers 
are a rich shade of orange yellow. The latter is best 
known as Cestrum aurantiacunu Both are more suited 
for growing on a wall or pillar than as roof climbers. 
When once the wall space has been covered or the top 
of the pillar reached, the plants should every year be 
hard pruned {i.e. all young growth should be cut back 
almost close to the old wood) when flowering is over. 
Any ordinary soil will grow these plants but they 
require abundant watering when growing. 

Heliotrope. — This is not often seen growing as a climber, 
but I have found the old species B. peruvlanum ex- 
cellent for walls and for rafters, flowering freelv almost 
all the summer, and certainly one of the most attractive 
plants to visitors. It should be planted out in not over 
rich soil, the leading shoots being trained up the 
supports till they have reached the top, which may 
take some years. During the winter all side shoots 
should be cut back close to the main stems and this will 
be all the pruning required during the year, as every 
new shoot made in spring will give one or more bunches 
of deliriously sweet flowers. The Heliotrope once well 
established is a long-lived plant and worthy of a good 
position in any greenhouse. During the summer it likes 
plenty of water, but very little during winter. 

Myrsiphyllum asparagoides. — This charming climbing 
plant known to many as " Smilax," and sold as such on 
the market, is not the true Smilax nor any relative of that 
plant. It is one of the best of green plants, and its sprays 
are of great use in decorations. It likes a snug corner of 
the greenhouse where it may be planted out in light and 
well drained soil with its thick, fleshy roots or tuber 
scarcely buried. The growths should be trained thinly 
up a temporary trellis formed of pieces of fine string, 



CLIMBERS AND BASKET PLANTS 35 



placed vertically, and each growth kept religiously to its 
own string. As the annual growth is made very quickly 
plenty of water should be given during this period. 
All growth of the previous year should be cut away 
before the new growth comes up, otherwise the result 
will be a hopeless tangle. 

Passiflora. — The Passion-flowers in variety are quick 
growing and admirable plants for covering a greenhouse 
roof. Out of many, probably the best for our use are 
P. carulea and its variety P. Goristance Elliot, the latter 
having large, white, sweet-scented flowers. All the 
Passion-flowers are easy to grow but many of them 
require more than the ordinary greenhouse tempera- 
ture. As it is necessary that the wood should ripen 
up well, the soil should not be over rich or deep, and 
plenty of drainage should be given. Beyond thinning 
out and keeping the plants within bounds, the less 
pruning they get the better, as they do not like much 
restriction. 

Plumbago capetisis. — Of this there are two forms, 
the blue and the white, which are excellent as climbers 
of moderate growth. They are suited either for cloth- 
ing roof, rafter, or pillar, and bear large numbers of 
chaste and delicate looking flowers in large bunches on 
the end of each new shoot. The Plumbago succeeds 
best when the roots are somewhat confined as to space, 
and should be grown in soil made very porous by 
the addition of broken brick and sand. It does not 
require a great supply of water at any time, and towards 
the end of autumn should be allowed to get almost dry, 
as this assists in ripening up the base buds of the new 
growth. In pruning, cut back to within an inch of 
the main stem or stems. Give little or no water until 
new shoots are breaking out, and be careful not to 
excite the plant into growth before winter is well 
over unless prepared to give it more than the usual 



36 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



amount of heat for the sake of getting early flowers. 
Plants allowed to come on naturally are the most 
satisfactory. 

Roses. — Many Roses make excellent greenhouse 
climbers, their great fault being that they are so 
subject to the attacks of Aphides, which are extremely 
persistent. Roses like a rich larder and should be 
grown in good loam with which some manure or crushed 
bones has been mixed, and manure water should be 
given during the growing season at frequent intervals. 
During the winter a much drier state of the roots must 
obtain so that the plants may not be too soon excited into 
growth. Roses vary so much in their requirements as to 
pruning, according to the section to which they belong, 
that one can here only deal with first principles. These 
are to cut out" bodily at any time of the year all growths 
that are too weak or puny to flower and to lay in all 
the strong young wood for which room can be found 
without overcrowding. Some of the strong growing 
noisette roses, as for instance the favourite Marechal 
Nie], like to be grown on the " long rod" system of 
pruning, Le. cutting out all flowering wood, as soon 
as the flowers are over, down to where it springs from 
the main stem and encouraging new shoots to take the 
place of those removed, laying them in at full length 
until they have flowered, when they, in their turn, 
are cut out to make room for their successors. Very 
fine flowers, and plenty of them, may be grown in this 
way, if vigorous root action be kept up by feeding. 

Tacsonia. — Tacsonias are very rapid growing plants 
and only suited for large houses. The two most 
frequently grown are T. Van Volxemi and T. exoniensis, 
both bearing large, brilliant red flowers of different 
shades, in form much like Passion flowers, which hang 
face downwards from long slender stems or peduncles. 
The palmate, dark green leaves are very fresh and 



CLIMBERS AND BASKET PLANTS V] 



attractive looking. The culture is of the simplest. 
Plenty of water during summer, attention to training 
and regulating the fast growing shoots, and a rather 
severe winter pruning. 

Tecoma. — Of the Tecomas, T. jasminoides is the best 
for a greenhouse climber and is a charming plant in every 
way, not too rapid in growth, and one which therefore 
may be easily kept within the bounds of a small green- 
house. Its beautiful, trumpet-shaped flowers are pure 
white, except the throat which is brilliant carmine ; the 
flowers being individually large and borne in loose 
bunches. The leaflets, borne several on a stem, like 
those of an ash tree, are dark glossy green on the upper 
surface and are very attractive in themselves. This 
handsome plant is not much grown or known, but I 
strongly recommend it. Its culture is easy. It likes a 
soil with some peat in it, a fair amount of water in 
summer, plenty of light, and very little pruning beyond 
the necessarv thinning and shortening back when grow- 
ing out of bounds. 



CHAPTER V 



Bulbs for the Greenhouse 

To bulbous plants we are indebted for much of the 
brightness seen in greenhouses in winter and spring. 
A good many of these plants are permanent occupants 
of our gardens, but the vast majority are bought in 
annually from our Dutch neighbours with whom rests 
in a great measure the success or failure of their pro- 
ductions in our gardens, but, as we ourselves can do 
much to make or to mar these imported bulbs, I pro- 
pose to give a few general directions which will assist 
towards success, these directions being more or less 
applicable to all deciduous bulbs whether grown at home 
or abroad. 

We will take, as the main point which needs emphasis- 
ing, the fact that, before any bulb can flower well, the 
flower growth must be preceded by strong and healthy 
root action. How natural it is for most bulbs to make 
the most of their time to this end may be easily proved 
by lifting from the garden border a bulb of a Lilium, or 
one of a Narcissus, directly after the annual top growth 
has been perfected. The chances are that such a bulb 
will be found to have already commenced new root 
action, or, if it has not, that the first rain that falls will 
induce it to do so. Apply the moral that this conveys 
to the treatment of all imported bulbs by buying at the 
earliest possible date, remembering that every day the 
bulbs are kept out of the soil, after this date, is a day 
wasted through one's own neglect. By an early transfer 
38 



BULBS FOR THE GREENHOUSE 39 



to their native element, the earth, good results can be 
assured providing the bulbs themselves be good. This 
brings us to another matter for consideration, viz., how 
to choose imported bulbs. They should be bright 
looking and free from blemish or mouldiness, firm 
under pressure and, above all, heavy in proportion to their 
size, for a weighty bulb may be depended on to have 
good flowers stored inside it. 

Hyacinths, Tulips, Daffodils, Liliums, Narcissi, 
Crocuses, and all bulbs of like nature intended for 
the embellishment of the greenhouse, should therefore 
be potted up as soon as received and encouraged to 
make roots at once. Some among them have a decided 
season of rest after flowering, but even these will have 
had more than sufficient rest by the time they reach the 
purchaser's hands. The soil in which they are grown 
is in most cases quite a secondary matter, provided that 
it is sweet, wholesome and sandy. In dealing especially 
with some of the bulbous plants most suitable for green- 
house culture, I will divide them into two sections, 
taking first those which are usually imported annually, 
and going on to those which may be made permanent 
occupants of our houses, and which do not deteriorate 
under home culture, as do those of the first section. 

Hyacinths. — The general treatment of the large flowered 
Dutch Hyacinth and the charming little white Roman 
Hyacinth is the same, but it must not be forgotten that, 
while the latter may be forced readily and had in flower 
at any time during the winter, the former does not take 
kindly to being forced, and is rarely seen good until 
March or April. Pot the larger kind singly into five-inch 
or six-inch pots, and the Romans from three to five in 
a five-inch pot. Good loam with a little manure and 
plenty of sand makes a good mixture for them, and a 
dash of clean sand should be placed immediately beneath 
each bulb which should be so set in the soil that about 



4 o THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



one-third of it is exposed. The soil should be moist but 
not wet, and pressed firmly into the pot with the fingers 
— not rammed. Stand the pots close together on a 
level piece of hard and worm-proof ground, and cover 
them with from four inches to six inches of fine coal ashes 
or cocoanut fibre. Ashes are the best, but thev should 
not be from coke or anthracite coal in any case, nor even 
from newly burned coal. In a few weeks the bulbs 
will be found to have rooted nicely and to be pushing 
up their crowns, and may then be taken into the green- 
house in bulk or in relays for succession. On removing 
from the ashes, the crowns should not be immediately 
exposed to light. If a garden frame is at hand, they 
may be stood in it for a few days and shaded until they 
acquire a green tint. The shading may remain on 
at night also as a protection from frost. Once in the 
greenhouse thev like plenty of light. A moderate 
supply of water will suffice at first, but as the spikes 
push up, this should be increased and some manure 
water given occasionally. 

Lillians. — There are many beautiful lilies suitable for 
the greenhouse, the best however being L. kngiflcrum and 
L. Harris si, both pure white and grand for forcing or for 
cool treatment, together with the well known L. auratum 
and several varieties of the late flowering L. speciosum. 
The bulbs frequently suffer severely in transit, and those 
which appear to be badly blemished or to have made inany 
new roots before they come to hand should be rejected. 
The bulbs should be freed from decaying scales, and the 
wounded portions dressed with powdered charcoal before 
being potted. For L. longifiorum and L. Harris si a sandy 
loam is suitable, while for the others mentioned some peat 
should be added, the soil in each case being fibrous. 
Drain the pots well, pot the bulbs low down, with some 
sand round and under each, and do not for the present 
fill the pots up in the usual way, but leave room for some 



BULBS FOR THE GREENHOUSE 43 



top dressing when the stem roots appear. Put the pots 
in a cold but rain proof frame, and give no water until 
the stems have grown several inches high. They may 
be brought into the greenhouse at any time, but only 
those indicated should be in any way forced. After the 
pots are full of roots they take a good supply of water, 
and manure water is a help while the flower buds are 
swelling. All lilies are subject to green fly when grown 
under glass, and are so much injured by even a slight 
attack that this should be strenuously avoided at all 
times. During the summer L. auratutn and L. speciosum 
may be stood outside in a shady sheltered spot until the 
buds show, after which they are best under glass. 

Narcissi, — In these notes on Narcissi it must be 
understood that in addition to the Polyanthus Narcissi 
I also include the Daffodils, many of which make excel- 
lent pot plants. These Narcissi illustrate almost more 
than any other bulbous plant the necessity of getting 
the bulbs potted early, if early flowers are desired. It 
suits the bulb merchants to send out all their bulbs to- 
gether late in autumn, and where this practice is followed 
Narcissus bulbs are cheated out of two or three months 
of their best rooting season and suffer accordingly. From 
home grown bulbs lifted in July and potted at once I have 
had both Daffodils and Polyanthus Narcissi well in flower 
early in February, with nothing like the forcing that 
imported bulbs potted up in late autumn have taken, and 
the flowers, too, on the former have been much more 
robust. Their general treatment should follow the lines 
laid down for that of the Hyacinth, except that the bulbs 
should be potted more deeply and as many as possible put 
in each pot, so that a good display may be had in a small 
compass. After being removed from the covering of 
ashes, which should not be until the growths are push- 
ing through, an ample supply of water will be necessary 
at all times, for drought is a thing they will not bear. 



44 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



The Narcissi are essentially clean plants, being subject 
to no insect pests on the leaves or flower stems, and as 
they require but little heat to bring the flowers on early, 
they will, if sufficient bulbs are grown and brought on 
in relays, keep the greenhouse bright and fragrant for 
some months. The old bulbs need not be thrown away 
after flowering, as they will grow well in the open 
garden, and after a rest of a year or two may again be 
lifted for pot work. 

Tulips. — For pot work in winter and early spring the 
gorgeous tulip, from the earliest Due van Thol to the 
quaintly shaped and brilliantly coloured Parrot tulip, is 
admirable, and, moreover, cheap and easily grown. All 
kinds are not alike easy to force into early bloom, but the 
late section brought on almost naturally will precede the 
outdoor flowers ; and as these late varieties are the most 
robust, and have flowers of high quality, a portion at 
least of the pot plants should consist of them. The 
bulbs selected should be bright nut brown in colour, 
glossy looking, and heavy. They may be potted pretty 
closely together, as they do not require much room, and 
the bulbs should be well buried in the soil not less than 
an inch of which should cover them. Place them under 
a covering of ashes as recommended for hyacinths, and 
do not put them into the greenhouse until growth has 
begun. Tulip bulbs like those of the Narcissi may be 
ripened off in the pots they have occupied, and used for 
planting out in the open garden. Home grown bulbs 
serve very well for late pot work, but for early work 
the Dutch grown bulbs are best. 

Gladioli. — Among the Gladioli there is a charming 
little section of which G. Colvillii is the species, and from 
this we get two or three varieties — a white one known 
as The Bride, a rose-coloured form, and another with a 
white ground and clear rose stripes down the petals. 
All are useful for the greenhouse, and flower early 



BULBS FOR THE GREENHOUSE 45 



before outdoor flowers are plentiful, though they will 
not bear forcing in the ordinary sense of the word. As 
the bulbs are small they may be put several in a pot, and 
being rather tall growers the pots that suit them best are 
those seven inches or eight inches in diameter. Fill the 
pots to within three inches of the top with sandy soil, on 
this place the bulbs and cover with two inches of soil. 
Do not plunge under ashes, but place them direct into a 
cool frame or on the shelf of a cool greenhouse, and 
allow them to come on gradually. Smaller pots than 
those advised above may be used, but the bulbs rarely 
succeed well in less than six-inch pots. When roots have 
been formed, and the plants are growing freely, they 
will take a rather bountiful supply of water, if the pots 
are well drained as they should be. 

Ixias. — With these, though they are distinct, may be 
included the Babianas and Sparaxis, as the same treat- 
ment is required by all, and all are charming though 
much neglected plants. The Howers have a wonderful 
range of colour, and one at least, Ixia viridiflora, stands 
unique among flowering plants, for its petals are of a 
beautiful and brilliant green hue. The probable cause of 
present-day neglect is that these plants do not bear the 
influence of artificial heat at any time, and in these days 
when the culture of things which require or like heat 
is attempted in almost all greenhouses, such plants are 
bound to fail. The small bulbs should be potted up 
from five to eight in a five-inch pot. Half sandy loam 
and half leaf mould suits them, and if the drainage is 
covered with a little of the fibrous loam and immediately on 
that is put some well-decayed cow-manure, the roots will 
revel in the latter just at the time when the flower spikes 
are being thrown up. The bulbs should be covered 
with about an inch of soil, and the pots then stood in a 
cold frame. No water must be given until growth com- 
mences, and an overdose is to be avoided at all times. 



46 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



The plants should be shielded from draught, and should 
have a cosy corner near the glass after being brought 
into the greenhouse. Though I have here included 
them in the section devoted to imported bulbs, they 
may be well grown at home, if, after flowering, the 
growth is allowed to ripen off gradually under glass, 
and when ripeness is complete the bulbs are shaken out 
and put into paper bags, which may be kept in a dry cool 
place till potting time (October) comes round again. 

Tuberose. — Though the tuberose {Polianthes tuber os a) is 
mostly used as a forcing plant, it may be grown cool 
throughout, and will then flower in the greenhouse late 
in summer. The bulbs should be potted in February or 
early in March in equal parts of loam, leaf mould, and 
decayed manure, with plenty of sand ; two-thirds of each 
bulb should be covered, and the soil pressed quite 
firmly around it. A single bulb in a five-inch pot 
will be sufficient, and this is better than putting more 
bulbs in a larger pot. Water well after potting, and 
stand in a cold frame until the pots are filled with roots 
and growth is commencing. Very little water will be 
required for several weeks, but when really growing 
they take a good supply, and are helped with manure 
water. Tuberoses delight in being well syringed daily 
when in growth, and syringing also helps to keep down 
red spider, to which they are subject in a dry atmosphere. 
They are all the better for being kept in the frame till 
they have made a foot or more of growth, provided they 
are well looked after as to ventilation, which should be 
abundant in nice weather. 

II 

We come now to the second section of bulbous plants, 
according to my classification, viz. those which may 
be made permanent occupants of our greenhouses and 



BULBS FOR THE GREENHOUSE 47 



gardens, and though, among these, we may miss some 
of the brilliancy of colouring and wealth of blossom that 
is to be had among the most popular of the previous 
section, we gain in the knowledge that all the success 
met with in growing them is the result of our own 
efforts and care, and year after year we watch their 
progress with enhanced interest. 

Crinums. — Though most of the Crinums are stove 
plants or enjoy a great amount of heat in the growing 
season, a few such as C. mooreii, C. macowanii, C. 
capense and its hybrids are very handsome greenhouse 
plants bearing large umbels of white or delicately 
tinted flowers. The plants are mostly evergreen, like 
a plentiful supply of water in the summer, and should 
not be dried off in winter. The root action is strong 
and large pots are necessary. Fibrous loam, together 
with a little peat, plenty of sand and, if at hand, a dash 
of crushed bones will be found a suitable mixture in 
which to grow them. The bones are of service as they 
supply food for some years and, therefore, when the 
biggest size of pot is used, it will not be necessary to 
repot every year, though a good top-dressing of rich soil 
may be applied in spring, which is also the time to repot 
those that need it. Shade should be given while the 
leaves are young and during the time of flowering, but 
after this they should have full light and a reduced supply 
of water, though they must not be dried off like many 
other bulbs. If increase of stock is desired, offsets may 
be pulled away from the parent bulbs when potting. 

Freesias. — The Freesia is an ever welcome flower, its 
sweet scent and delicate flowers being always acceptable, 
and as it may be well grown in small pots it is suitable 
for greenhouses of any size. Many people buy in a 
fresh stock of bulbs every year as they fail to flower the 
home grown stock well, but it is not necessary to do so 
when it is thoroughly understood that the failure is due 



48 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



to the want of ripeness. By proceeding on the following 
lines success is practically certain. The bulbs should 
be potted up in July or early in August, putting a dozen 
in a five-inch pot or a proportionate number in a six-inch 
pot. Drain the pots well, fill them to within two inches 
of the top with soil composed of two-thirds loam and 
one-sixtH each of sand and decayed cow manure. On 
this put the bulbs and cover with an inch of the same 
mixture. Stand on ashes in a cold frame and in a few 
weeks the growth will appear. Keep close up to the 
light and water lightly at first, but in increasing quantity 
as growth increases. Move to the greenhouse shelf near 
the glass before frosty nights come on, and do not per- 
mit the plants to be in a draught. Use no forcing 
tactics to bring the flowers on, as the flowers so pro- 
duced will be flimsy. If a succession is wanted, this 
may be gained by potting the bulbs in successional 
batches beginning early in July and finishing in Septem- 
ber. After flowering do not fail to water freely until 
all the leaves have turned yellow, and then cease. By 
this time the bulbs will have finished their growth, and 
the next thing is to ripen them by standing them on the 
hottest and sunniest part of the shelf until potting time 
again comes round, giving not a drop of water during 
this period. Bulbs so treated start freely into growth 
directly they are potted, while half ripened ones, such 
as are often found among home-grown bulbs, often 
refuse to start at all. Freesias being frail in growth 
require some support and this should be given early 
and added to as they grow taller. Stock may be fast 
increased by taking care of the small bulbils found in 
the soil at potting time, and these come to flowering 
size in a year. 

Hammithus. — This very attractive and easily grown 
genus of bulbous plants, known also as the Blood 
Flower, deserves to be more grown than it is, and 



BULBS FOR THE GREENHOUSE 49 



especially so by amateurs, for it gives but little 
trouble and is quaint as well as pretty. A few of the 
best would be H. sanguineus, H. natalensis, H. Katherinoe , 
and H. insignis. These are plants that do not often 
require repotting, as they like to be cramped for root 
room, or at least they flower best under such conditions. 
Need of potting will be indicated by a falling off in size 
of leaf. Pot, when growth is beginning, in a mixture of 
loam, peat, and sand. For the latter, pounded mortar 
rubbish may be substituted. After the leaves of a season's 
growth have been perfected, rest should be induced by 
withholding water, and the plants may then be stored 
away in the background of under the stage, where they 
can be kept dry till the flowers show. Increase with 
these plants is not rapid, but off-sets may be taken when 
potting and grown on in small pots for the first year, 
taking care not to over-water them. 

Hippeastrums. — Most of the Hippeastrums, or Amaryllis 
as they are more often but erroneously called, are stove 
or hothouse plants, but among them are a few very 
beautiful greenhouse species and varieties, for which 
room should be found in all collections. Perhaps the 
best are H. aulicum with immense lily-like flowers, H. 
Johnsonii, H. vittata, H. pardinum, and H. pratense. All 
are sub-evergreen and should not be entirely dried off, 
but, as with most other bulbs, there should be a distinct 
falling off in the amount of water given after the leaves 
begin to ripen. Pot when necessary, which will be only 
every third or fourth year, when new growth begins, in 
a mixture of very sandy loam, a little leaf mould, and a 
small handful of crushed bones to each pot. For a single 
flowering bulb a six-inch pot will be a good size, but I 
like to have these greenhouse forms potted on with their 
offsets left intact, so that one may eventually have a good 
display of flowers instead of a single spike. When 
the offsets become plentiful, bigger pots will of course 

D 



50 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



be wanted. In potting, half bury the bulb and pot firmly. 
Water carefully to begin with, but plentifully as the 
leaves expand, and those plants which have not been 
repotted should be given manure water at least once a 
week in the growing season. Strive to keep the leaves 
green and perfect as long as possible, as they are neces- 
sary to assist the bulbs to finish up properly. A light 
position should be given during the whole period of 
activity. Increase by offsets, which should not be re- 
moved until half grown towards flowering size, or by 
seeds which germinate freely enough in a fair amount 
of heat, but take some years to reach the flowering stage 
or size. 

Imantophyllums. — Imantophyllums, or Clivias as they are 
known to some, are very handsome plants even when 
not in flower, being evergreen with dark green, long, 
arching leaves. They are among the most easily 
managed of greenhouse bulbs, as they require potting 
but seldom, and are subject to no insect pests. During 
the summer and until they have flowered, which bulbs 
of flowering size are practically certain to do every year, 
they like more than the normal amount of water, and 
enjoy being syringed frequently. Later on, one should 
reduce the supply and leave off syringing, as too much 
water after growth is finished causes the leaves to decay 
at the tips. These plants bear a considerable amount 
of shade with impunity, and it does not appear to inter- 
fere with their flowering, provided their general treat- 
ment is right. When potting, use a mixture similar to 
that recommended for Hippeastrums, and pot firmly. 
Increase by ofF-sets or divisions, and keep these almost 
dry at the root till new roots form. Long-established 
plants may be kept in health and vigour by removing 
some of the surface soil in spring and replacing it with 
some new and rich material. 

Lachenallas. — One of the hardiest of our indoor bulbous 



BULBS FOR THE GREENHOUSE 51 



plants, neat and rather small in growth, quaint in flower 
colouring, and attractive in leafage, the Lachenalia is a 
great favourite as an early flowering plant that requires 
little or no artificial heat, and is excellent either for 
growing in hanging baskets, or in small pots that may 
be used for fringing our greenhouse benches. Out 
of the many species and varieties, perhaps the three best 
are L. tricolor, with green, red, and yellow flowers and 
dull purple spotted leaves ; L. pendula, a strong grower ; 
and L. Nelsoni, with its golden flowers borne from fifteen 
to twenty on a scape, perhaps the best of them all. 
Lachenalias should be potted every year in August, put- 
ting about six bulbs in each five-inch pot. The soil 
should be rich and very sandy or gritty, road grit suiting 
well as a medium for keeping the soil open. One half 
loam, the other half equal quantities of leaf mould, dried 
and finely sifted cow-manure, and sand will suit well. 
Plant the bulbs in this mixture half an inch deep, and 
put the pots in a cold frame ; give one watering, and let 
this suffice till growth gets well advanced. Leave in 
the frame until sharp frosts are imminent, then remove 
to a cool greenhouse shelf where plenty of light may be 
had. Water freely when the spikes begin to show and 
until growth ceases, then dry off in the sun and keep 
dry until potting time comes round again. 

Basket culture has been alluded to, and the way to set 
about it is to line the baskets with some fibrous soil to 
prevent the finer particles from falling through them, put 
on this a thin layer of finer soil, and in this place the 
bulbs with their crowns looking outwards towards the 
sides and bottom of the basket, but so placed that 
the growth will come through between the wires. Fill 
up with soil, then place a slate or board across the top 
to prevent the soil from falling out when the basket is 
inverted, as it should be on to a pot in the cold frame. 
On removal to the greenhouse later on, when the growth 



52 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



has come through, it may of course be hung up in nor- 
mal position, and the plants will then be clothing the 
bottom and sides of the basket. Lachenalias are readily 
increased by saving the small bulbs found when potting. 




DEUTZ1A GRACILIS 

Nerine. — The best known of the Nerines is the 
Guernsey Lily (N. sarmensis), of which N. s. venusta 
is the brightest form, bearing umbels of the most 
brilliant scarlet flowers. Another good and brilliant 



BULBS FOR THE GREENHOUSE 53 



form is N. curvifolium or Fothergilli. As Nerines flower 
mostly in the autumn and the leaves are made after the 
flower spikes are well advanced, these plants require an 
abundant supply of water at a season when other bulbs 
are getting a reduced supply. This should not be over- 
looked, a good rule being to give plenty of water from 
the time the leaves appear until May, and none after- 
wards. Full light must be given when growing, but at 
other times they may be stored in any dry and frost- 
proof place. Established plants are best without repotting 
or division until this is forced on the grower, as it 
generally means loss of vigour for at least a year. The 
soil best suited to growth'is loam, leaf mould, and sand 
in about equal quantities. In this compost, imported or 
recently divided bulbs should be firmly potted, using 
rather small pots and giving only sufficient water to 
prevent shrivelling until roots are forming freely. 

Sprekelia formosissima. — This very handsome plant is 
known also under the names of Amaryllis formosissima and 
the Jacobean Lily. The velvety, deep scarlet flowers 
are not always freely produced, owing to insufficient 
ripening of the bulbs. When the leaves have faded, a 
thorough exposure to the sun on a shelf under glass is 
essential to success. During the rather short season of 
growth give plenty of water and occasional doses of 
liquid manure to feed the bulbs, then, when the leaves 
have ceased growing and are turning yellow, withhold 
water entirely, and seek to make the most of sunlight 
for ripening purposes. A big, soft bulb will never 
flower, no matter how well fed it may be, and keeping 
the plants dry without exposing to sun is insufficient. 
Sprekelia bulbs need not be potted often, and are best 
grown four or five together in a six-inch pot, using for 
them fairly rich soil to begin with. 

Vallota. — The "Scarborough Lily" is a puzzle to 
growers, for it is often found doing best where it gets 



54 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



least attention. The primary cause of this is that it 
does not like root disturbance after once being estab- 
lished. Equal parts of loam, leaf-mould, and road grit 
or sand will suit the plants ; half the sand should be 
mixed with the soil and the other half distributed im- 
mediately round the bulbs. Vallotas being evergreen 
must not be dried off nor kept without water at any 
time, but care is necessary not to overwet the new soil 
and so turn it sour before being occupied with roots. 
Pot very deeply, entirely covering the bulb. Established 
plants must be watered freely during the growing 
season, which is during autumn and winter, and they 
like occasional doses of liquid manure. Vallotas are 
mostly increased by off-sets, but seeds germinate freely 
in a greenhouse temperature. Seedlings take some years 
to reach flowering size, but they then make excellent 
and generally very healthy plants. They should be 
potted four or five together in a small pot while 
young, and, afterwards, the clump so formed should be 
potted on intact. 



CHAPTER VI 



Greenhouse Plants from Seeds 

In this chapter I propose dealing with the most 
popular of those greenhouse plants, the principal, and 
in most cases the only, method of raising which is 
by sowing seeds. They" include annual, biennial and 
perennial plants, but may all be classed together, as 
their common end, when once they have flowered, is to 
be thrown away to make room for other seedlings in their 
turn. As each differs from the other in essential details, 
the general remarks on them will be few, but most of 
them agree in liking a tolerably rich, loamy soil, with 
plenty of grit in it to keep it open and free working for 
the roots, and do not like it made firmer, when potting, 
than can be done under pressure of the fingers. The 
root action in most cases is vigorous and free, and until 
they reach their flowering pots they should never be 
allowed to become pot-bound, i.e. their roots should 
not mat together round the sides of the pots, as this 
gives the plants a check from which they rarely recover. 
By judicious selection and treatment and by the enlistment 
of the services of the garden frame during the summer, 
an all-the-year-round display of flowers may be had from 
this section of plants alone. A word of advice may be 
given which is applicable to all these plants, and that is 
to be sure in all cases that a good " strain" of seeds is 
selected for sowing. It takes no more skill or attention 
to grow a good plant than to grow a bad one, and there 
are both good and bad seeds on the market. All the 

55 



56 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



skill one may use in growing the latter will never result 
in good plants. Go always to a reliable seedsman, whether 
he be in a large or a small way of business. 

Balsams. — Sow seeds thinly about the end of March in 
pans of rich loamy soil mixed with decayed manure and 
sand. Water in, cover with a sheet of glass and put in a 
temperature of 6o°. As soon as the seedlings germinate, 
raise the seed pan close to the roof glass in a position 
where they will get plenty of fresh air. If left in a 
close atmosphere and at a distance from the light the 
seedlings become " drawn " and useless. Pot off singly, 
always in rich soil, when they are about two inches high, 
using small pots and sinking the plants low, so that 
the cotyledons or seed leaves touch the soil ; and continue 
repotting, each time before the roots get matted, until 
reaching the flowering pots, which should not be less 
than eight inches in diameter and, for really fine plants, 
should be bigger. Always keep well up to the light 
and every few days turn the pots round, so that each 
side of the plant shall be well balanced. The plants will 
eventually branch out all round, and when these branches 
are long enough they should be gently drawn down and 
tied in position to form a bushy bottom. No crowding 
must be allowed. When the first flower buds show, 
they should be picked off from the lower parts of the 
plant, allowing none to develop until the plant is well 
formed ; then discontinue this disbudding and commence 
to feed with weak manure water, which should always be 
used in a clear state, never thick, for all plants ; continu- 
ing this feeding as long as the plants are worth keeping. 
The rather high temperature recommended for seedlings 
should be gradually reduced as the outside temperature 
gets warmer, until the ordinary greenhouse conditions 
are reached. Well grown Balsams are very handsome 
plants and last long in flower. 

Calceolarias. — The seeds of the herbaceous Calceolaria 



CINERARIA HYBRID A 



GREENHOUSE PLANTS FROM SEEDS 59 



are particularly small and need care. In July a seed 
pan should be drained and filled with a mixture of 
loam and leaf mould in equal proportions, together 
with a liberal sprinkling of sand. This should be 
pressed into the pan perfectly level and with some very 
fine soil on top. Water the soil through a very fine 
rosed water pot until it is well moistened throughout ; 
on it then distribute the seed as equally as possible and 
cover with the merest sprinkling of very finely sifted 
soil and sand. So slight must be this covering that 
many growers do without it altogether and trust to the 
seeds finding their way into the soil sufficiently to 
germinate. Put the pan under a hand light or large bell 
glass in a damp, shady corner out doors. It is advisable 
to raise the pan on an inverted pot with its rim stand- 
ing in a saucer of water ; this will prevent slugs from 
getting at it and is a wise precaution. Keep without 
air till the seeds germinate, as by keeping close we 
prevent evaporation and the necessity for watering, 
which is a dangerous operation with such tiny seeds. 
If the surface does, however, get dry, dip the pan into a 
tub of water, holding it level and high enough to 
prevent the water from breaking through the surface, 
for a few minutes, when it will have absorbed sufficient 
for its needs. When the seedlings show, give air daily. 
When large enough, prick off in soil containing, in 
addition to that advised for seeds, some decayed cow 
manure. Pot off into three-inch pots when big enough, 
and the larger plants will need one more potting before 
winter, going then into five-inch pots. In February, pot 
in the flowering pots, which may vary in size with the 
strength of the plants, but should not be less than seven- 
inch. Careful watering, never letting the soil become dry, 
is necessary, and so too is shade at all times. Fire heat 
these plants abhor, and they are often grown in cold 
frames throughout, but must be protected in some way 



6c THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



from actual frost. If they have to go into an ordinary 
greenhouse, keep them as far removed from the hot 
water pipes as possible. Green fly is very troublesome 
and must be kept off them at all costs. The leaves are 
soft and readily injured by insecticides, so that it is 
important to vaporise lightly and often with one of the 
Nicotine preparations. 

Cineraria.— Sow seeds any time during May in pans 
of light soil placed in a cool, shady corner of a garden 
frame. Shade must be given at all times through the 
summer, and the garden frame placed at the back of 
a wall with a northern aspect is best for them until 
winter frosts will allow of it no longer. Two things 
on which one may be quite emphatic, are that the plants 
are tender and easily injured by frost, and on the other 
hand that they do not like artificial heat, though they 
must have it at times to keep them safe. When the seed- 
lings are large enough to handle, prick them off a couple 
of inches apart into other pans, the soil for which may 
be half loam and one-sixth each of decayed manure, leaf 
mould and sand. Before they become crowded, pot off 
singly, using good drainage, as they like plenty of water ; 
never letting them become pot-bound until the finai 
size of pot is reached. Plants in six-inch to eight-inch 
pots are the handiest, and they should be well established 
in these by the end of September. They will be much 
benefited by night dews during summer, and the frame 
lights should be drawn off every evening when the 
weather is fine and calm. A cool ashes bottom is good 
for them in the frames, and when moved to the green- 
house they should be kept well away from the pipes. 
Cinerarias are very subject to green fly and should be 
frequently treated as advised for Calceolarias. 

Campanula pyramidalis. — This, the tall growing Chimney 
Campanula, is really perennial, but for ordinary purposes 
is best sown yearly. Seeds sown in April or May do 



GREENHOUSE PLANTS FROM SEEDS 61 



not make flowering plants until the autumn of the next 
year, but are worth the waiting for. They may be 
raised in a cold frame, the young plants being grown on 
so that they occupy fuur-inch pots for the winter, which 
they should spend in a cool house where they may be kept 
rather dry at the root. In early spring, pot on into six- 
inch pots, potting very firmly, and from these again when 
full of roots into eight-inch or nine-inch pots. This last 
potting should take place just as the stems appear to 
be lengthening, which will be an indication of running 
to flower ; they will then give a fine display of flowers, 
and if the earlier ones are picked off as they fade, 
others will come on in succession. There are both blue 
and white flowered forms of this fine Campanula, and 
seedsmen also sell now a dwarfer form which has been 
selected and which is useful for small houses. This 
Campanula is hardy if it can be kept dry through the 
winter. It may be wintered outside in the garden 
frame, if the lights are water-tight, provided the pots 
are plunged to their rims in ashes. 

Ce/osias. — The very elegantly plumed Celosia pyra- 
midalis is here intended, but with it may be classed 
the ever gorgeous and quaint Cockscombs which many 
people delight in growing. Except in the early stages, 
they may be grown in the greenhouse, where they are 
very attractive and bright through the autumn. To 
raise them, one must command a night temperature of 
about 60 deg., more rather than less, and this may be 
produced by making up a hot-bed of stable manure 
and leaves on which to place a garden frame. Such a 
hot-bed is one of the greatest boons to the owner of 
a garden which does not contain a hot-house, for in 
it may be raised and propagated very many things im- 
possible without some such aid. 

Sow the seeds in March or early in April in well 
drained pots of light soil containing a considerable 



62 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 

amount of leaf mould and sand, and plunge in the hot- 
bed. The seeds germinate quickly and should always 
be kept well up to the light, this being especially 
necessary with the Cockscombs, which are never con- 
sidered to be well grown unless they are dwarf. Pot 
the seedlings off as soon as ready into three-inch pots. If 
large plants are desired they must be frequently repotted, 
and this is very essential with the Cockscombs ; but plants 
of the pyramidalis section may be kept in small pots 
until they show their colour, when the rubbishy forms, 
of which there are sure to be some, may be thrown away 
and the rest potted on in time to make useful plants in 
six-inch pots. At the final potting, the soil should 
be somewhat coarse and must contain a considerable 
amount of decayed animal manure. Celosias do not 
care for a lot of water at the root but like consider- 
able humidity in the atmosphere, and should be freely 
syringed in fine weather as they are rather subject 
to red spider. I prefer to keep them in frames and 
on a moist bottom during summer. If they can re- 
main on the hot-bed so much the better. Ventilate 
freely during the day, but shut up early after syringing 
well. 

Cyclamen. — The Persian Cyclamen is better grown 
now than ever it was, and especially so by growers 
for market, who get wonderful results under an 
express system of culture which is not possible to 
those who cannot devote whole houses to them. 
One thing, however, we have learned of late years 
from these examples, is that young plants well grown 
are better than the old ones which used to be 
kept year after year at the cost of much trouble 
and many failures. The Cyclamen cannot be called a 
cool greenhouse plant, for it likes a fair amount of heat 
when actively growing. Seeds should be sown in 
August, using new seeds always, in pans of loam, 



GREENHOUSE PLANTS FROM SEEDS 63 



leaf mould and sand, putting them in a temperature of 
about 55 deg. Keep moist but not wet. When each plant 
has made two or three small leaves, pot off singly in 




CYCLAMEN PERSICUM 



similar soil, taking care not to bury the corm entirely. 
Continue to keep up a growing temperature and have 
the plants nearly close to the glass, but in a position 



64 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



where they may be shaded during the hottest part 
of the day. Syringe freely two or three times a day 
and see that they never get dry at the root. In June 
pot into the flowering pots, using two-thirds loam, 
one-third leaf mould, with plenty of sand added. Pot 
in five-inch or six-inch pots according to the strength 
of the plants. When nicely rooted, move to a frame 
and keep them fairly close for a few days. Avoid 
over-watering at this period, but syringe twice a day with 
soft water. After a while, ventilate with more freedom 
and be sure to give the plants ample room. When 
the nights grow cool, remove to a warm part of the 
greenhouse. Feed with manure water when the 
flower buds show. Cyclamen is subject to green 
fly, and sometimes is pestered also with thrips. 
Neither must be tolerated or the plants will suffer. 

Humea elegans. — Seeds of this attractive biennial should 
be sown in May in pots of loam and peat equally 
proportioned and mixed with silver sand. The seeds 
are light and easily washed away, so it is best to water 
the seed pot before sowing them. After scattering the 
seeds cover them with the merest sprinkling of fine soil. 
The seeds germinate slowly but should not be raised in 
heat, a shady corner in a cold frame with a sheet of glass 
on the seed pot to conserve moisture being what they need. 
Pot off the seedlings into three-inch pots, and when the 
roots come to the sides pot again into five-inch pots. This 
last potting should be in September or early in October. 
Careful watering is a salient matter in dealing with this 
plant, never giving an overdose, and never allowing dry- 
ness. Keep in a cool house all winter, just safe from frost. 
In spring re-pot into seven-inch pots and later on into larger 
ones, using at each potting similar but more lumpy soil. 
Give manure water when the roots have filled the pots 
given at the last potting. Humeas like some shade from 
bright sun and to be always amid cool surroundings, 



GREENHOUSE PLANTS FROM SEEDS 65 



but should never be syringed overhead for this they do 
not like. Like many other greenhouse plants, the Humea 
enjoys frame culture during its first summer and up to 
the time when frost is to be feared. 

Primula sinensis. — Chinese Primulas are probably the 
most popular of the Primrose family, no greenhouse 
display in spring being considered complete without them. 
They are comparatively easy plants to grow and not much 
troubled with insect pests, though the ubiquitous green 
fly has a penchant for them when young. Seeds may 
be sown from March to June according to the time 
flowers are wanted most. The earliest will flower in 
autumn and winter but "suffer by comparison with 
those that flower in spring. The seeds, which are 
fairly large, should be sown in pans containing a mix- 
ture of leaf mould, loam and sand. Early sowings will 
need a little heat, but later ones are best raised in a cool 
frame. Cover the pan with glass till the seeds are up, 
pot off when ready into small pots and continue re- 
potting as they need it. A useful size of pot to flower 
in is six-inch, but they may be grown in various sizes 
according to taste. At the later pottings, manure may 
be added to the soil, which should always be kept on 
the light side by using plenty of leaf mould. Frame 
culture is best through the summer, and on fine nights 
the lights may be drawn off, the plants being grateful 
for summer dews. They must have ample room when 
growing and a fair amount of ventilation to keep them 
sturdy. Shade, too, will be needed in hot weather. 
Plenty of water must be given in the summer and a 
lessened supply towards winter, but never let them be 
quite dry. In potting, keep the plants low down in the 
pots. It was customary years ago to keep the short 
stem under the ieaves above the soil, but this was a 
mistake and a cause of trouble. Move to the green- 
house before the dull and humid weather of late autumn 



E 



66 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



comes on, and give a temperature of about 50 deg. There 
are many other valuable Primulas to be raised from seeds 
which can only have mention here. Their treatment is 
to some extent similar, except that they will do with a 
lower temperature in winter. Among the best are P. 
verticillata (the Abyssinian primrose), P. obconica, P. 
jftoribunda, and the new hybrid between the first and 
last of these, named P. Kewensis. 

Schizanthus. — For flowering in pots early in summer 
the schizanthuses are very bright and light-looking. 
They give but little trouble to grow, and the butterfly- 
like flowers of S. retusas are very interesting in 
form. Seeds should be sown in August, either in 
the six-inch pots in which they are to flower or in an 
ordinary seed pan which should be put in a cold frame. 
If the former method is practised, soil composed of 
loam, leaf mould and decayed manure should be used, 
and the seedlings simply thinned out eventually to about 
three in a pot. Soil without the manure will do for seed- 
lings to be re-potted into, and this is perhaps the better 
way, providing they are not allowed to get big before 
removing them from the seed pot. In any case the soil 
for the flowering pots should be fairly rich. Grow on 
in the cool frame till the nights get cold, then move to a 
light shelf in the coldest part of the greenhouse, as it 
will not do to tempt the flower spikes to run up too 
soon. Grow on as slowly as possible and water 
carefully until the pots are filled with roots, after 
which a little manure water will be helpful. 



CHAPTER VII 



Miscellaneous Greenhouse Plants 

As may be readily understood by the heading under 

which these come, there can be no general rules laid 

down for their culture beyond those first principles of 

plant culture which will be found elsewhere in this little 

work. Some, such as the Chrysanthemums, Cannas, 

Fuchsias, Salvias and Begonias are fairly gross feeders, 

whilst others such as the Francoas, Kalosanthes, Strep- 

tosolens, and one section, at least, of the Pelargoniums 

would be spoiled by high feeding. The Chrysanthemum 

can here only be treated of in its general aspect as a 

decorative plant for the green-house and not on the fuller 

lines of growing for show or large blooms. The group 

of miscellaneous plants that may be used for greenhouse 

embellishment is a large one, of which many members 

cannot be included here, but my selection will be found 

to include the most worthy of them. 

Abutilons. — Abutilons are mostly vigorous growing 

plants that do not much care for the confinement of a 

pot, and many of them are best grown as pillar plants 

or for covering a bare greenhouse wall. Given good 

treatment and a rich soil, pot plants are, however, 

effective during the autumn months, and though they 

run somewhat tall are very useful for breaking up the 

flat surface of a group or bank of plants. To be seen 

at their best, young plants should be propagated for pot 

work each spring, and the method is to take off the tips 

of growing shoots about four inches long, inserting these 

6 7 



68 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



singly in three-inch pots in light, sandy soil, and putting 
them under a handlight in a warm house or on a hot- 
bed, keeping them shaded from bright sunshine till they 
become rooted, which will be in the course of a fort- 
night or so after insertion. Remove then to the green- 
house benches and pot on in good soil, one-half fibrous 
loam, one-quarter each leaf mould and decayed manure, 
adding a fairly liberal amount of sand. Pot on into 
larger pots as often as they fill the previous ones with 
roots, continuing this till the end of June by which time 
they should fill pots varying in size from six inches to 
eight inches. When well rooted, give water freely and 
manure water occasionally. Abutilons like rather more 
heat than the ordinary greenhouse affords, and under 
its influence will continue to flower well into the winter 
months, but they may be grown entirely as greenhouse 
plants provided very little water is given during winter. 
They are liable to both green and white fly. Scale will also 
attack them ; in fact almost all garden insect pests thrive 
on these plants when allowed the opportunity of doing so. 

Begonias — tuberous. — For brilliancy of colouring and 
freedom in flowering combined, these plants have few 
equals. They are, also, essentially plants that may be 
grown under certain difficulties that would prevent the 
successful growth of some plants. For instance, they 
have no objection to a considerable amount of shade, 
and consequently may be grown in houses that have not 
quite the best aspect ; also, being dwarf plants, they do 
not require much head room. They may be raised from 
seeds sown in carefully prepared pots of light sandy soil, 
using a large proportion of thoroughly decayed leaf 
mould. The seeds being very small should be sown 
on the surface instead of being buried. Sow in heat 
and shade, quite early in the year, for they are slow 
growing to begin with. Prick off, when big enough to 
handle, into small boxes or pans of light soil. Pot olf 



MISCELLANEOUS PLANTS 69 



when ready, using a tolerably rich soil containing plenty 
of humus and sand. If sufficient heat for seed raising is 
not to be had, a start should be made with dormant or 
semi-dormant tubers bought in early in April. Pot these 
up in pots that may vary in size from five inches to eight 
inches, according to the size of tuber. Stand in the 
greenhouse in a shady corner, and give little or no water 
till growth begins, after which, increase the supply 
gradually until by the time the pots are filled they will 
take an abundance, and should never be allowed to get 
dry. When growth and flowering cease in autumn, 
reduce the watering and keep quite dry through the 
winter in a frost-proof shed, leaving the tubers in the 
soil until potting time comes round again, or they may 
be shaken free from soil if dry, directly the top growth 
drops away, and stored in paper bags in a cupboard or 
cellar, but not close to the fireplace. When potting 
these developed tubers, put at once into the flowering 
pot, the tubers to be sunk just below the surface, 
with a dash of sand beneath each. Press the soil firmly 
with the fingers. Tubers showing several growths may 
be cut in two or more pieces, leaving some growths on 
each piece. The pieces should be allowed to dry in the 
sun, and the cut surfaces thickly powdered with lime or 
charcoal before potting. 

Begonias — fibrous-rooted. — To these, the general treat- 
ment advised for the tuberous section will apply, but 
they should be propagated from cuttings of the new 
growths made in spring, and should never be dried off 
to the same extent, for if the roots were allowed to die 
off the plants would not recover. They like the w r armth 
of the intermediate house in winter, and should then be 
kept fairly dry until new growth shows at the base. 
The would-be Begonia grower must keep a sharp look- 
out for a tiny species of thrips, which has the power of 
simply paralysing the plants by sucking its juices. It 



jo THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



is almost too small to be seen by the naked eye, but 
its presence is readily detected by the rusty marks it 
makes on leaves and stems. Directly these marks, are 
seen, the house must be fumigated or vaporised with 
nicotine, and this should be repeated about three times 
on alternate evenings. 

Carinas. — Handsome even as foliage plants, these have 
been much improved of late as regards freedom of flower- 
ing and size of flower. Some of the newer varieties are 
quite gorgeous and even startling in their daring mix- 
tures of colour. They are easily grown, but require 
quite a rich and porous soil in which to develop at their 
best. The root stock should be divided in spring into 
pieces, each containing one or two crowns, and potted 
up in equal portions of good loam, sand, and decayed 
cow manure, using well drained pots, seven inches to 
ten inches, according to the size of clump, as Cannas re- 
quire an abundance of water when growing. They may 
be grown in the cool house, but are grateful for more 
heat if feasible ; and with increased heat should be in- 
creased humidity of atmosphere. They flower from 
July to November, according to the variety grown and 
the time of starting the clumps, for in this they are very 
accommodating. After flowering, reduce the water sup- 
ply, and, when sufficiently dry, remove to a dry frost 
proof shed till potting time comes round again. In 
addition to being raised by division, plants may also be 
raised from seeds, which should be sown singly in small 
pots and plunged in a hot-bed to germinate, potting them 
on in the usual way as they fill their pots with roots. 
Before sowing the seeds, soak them in warm water for 
several hours, and then nick the outer casing through 
with a file, for unless this is done old seeds often fail to 
germinate. The only extra care Cannas need is to keep 
them out of draughts when growing. They are not 
much subject to insect pests. 



MISCELLANEOUS PLANTS 71 

Carnations. — Two distinct types of Carnation, the 
Winter-flowering and the Malmaisons, are well suited 
for greenhouse work. The former are gaining in 
popularity and well deserve it. They should be pro- 
pagated from cuttings or slips of the small side growths 
which form on the main stems early in spring, and may 
be struck in pots plunged in bottom heat so arranged 
that the tops can be kept fairly cool at the same time. 
When ready, pot off singly into small pots, place in a 
temperature of 60 deg., syringe freely, and keep 
them growing until mid-April when they may go into 
a cooler house. Some varieties require stopping, in 
which case the tops should be pinched out once or twice 
to make them bushy, but all operations of this sort 
should cease in June if flowers are wanted in winter, 
and at about that time the plants should be moved 
to a sunny spot in the open air, plunged in ashes and 
left there until the end of summer when they may be 
returned to the greenhouse and placed well up to the 
light. In a wet season, plants plunged outside suffer 
through the heavy rainfall and should be protected from 
this. Carnations delight in old pasture loam (which 
has been stacked for several months), with sand and 
powdered sea-shell or bone meal mixed in moderate 
quantities with it. They should never be over-potted, 
a shift of two sizes bigger should never be exceeded at 
a time. Good plants may be grown in six-inch pots. 
Watering must be done with great care as Carnations 
will not thrive with an excess of moisture at the roots. 
When the plants commence flowering, weak manure 
water may be given, or a little concentrated manure 
sprinkled now and then on the surface soil. Green fly 
is a troublesome pest that must be dealt with very 
frequently in order to keep clean plants. Malmaisons 
flower in the summer months when treated naturally, 
and will not thrive under artificial heat, from 45 deg. 



72 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



to 50 deg. being ample during winter. They should 
never be syringed, as this develops disease in the 
plants. They are propagated by layering the young 
shoots under glass during summer, and when these are 
well established in pots the tops may be pinched out. 
By stopping or pinching a few plants at a time, a suc- 
cessional flowering season may be had. A light house, 
where the plants may be brought near the glass and 
with provision made for slight shading in bright weather, 
will suit these plants. They are not to be recommended 
for growing among other plants. 

Chrysanthemums. — For ordinary greenhouse decoration, 
these are best propagated early in spring, choosing 
cuttings from the base of last year's plants, not from 
the stems. Cutting these off near the base when 
about three inches long, insert them, either singly or 
in threes, in small pots of sandy loam and leaf mould. 
Take off only a few cuttings at a time, putting them at 
once in the cutting pots and watering well before they 
have time to flag. They may then be plunged in ashes 
up to the rims of the pots in a cold frame and kept 
close and shaded until rooted. Pot on when well 
rooted, putting the single cuttings into five-inch and the 
triplets into six-inch pots, returning them to the frame 
and increasing the ventilation day by day until the 
weather is fit for complete exposure. When they 
have grown about six inches high, nip out the tops to 
induce a bushy habit, repeating this process once or twice 
but not later than the end of June, and never pinching 
within a week, either before or after, of potting. The 
final potting into the flowering pots should be given in 
June or very early in July, and the soil at this potting 
should consist of two-thirds roughly broken fibrous loam 
and one-third decayed horse droppings, with some sand. 
Should the loam be heavy, use as a corrective some 
broken lime rubble or burnt earth in addition to the 



MISCELLANEOUS PLANTS 



above. Ram the soil tolerably solid, as the plants like a 
firm rooting medium. At all times Chrysanthemums must 
be kept moist at the roots, and to effect this towards the 
autumn, when the pots are well filled with roots, it may 
be necessary to water two or three times a day. This 
love of water should be arranged for when potting, by 
leaving at least one and a half inches between the rim of 
the pot and the surface soil, so that sufficient to soak 
the ball may be given at each instalment. When flower 
buds have formed, feeding with manure may be com- 
menced and continued until the flowers have opened. 
During the summer months, the plants must be stood 
outside in the open, so that the wood may be solid and 
ripen well. Late in September or early in October, 
according to locality, they must be brought into the 
greenhouse, which should be fully ventilated night 
and day. The removal will check the plants slightly, 
and it will be necessary to reduce the water supply 
for a few days until they become acclimatised to 
their new surroundings. As a safeguard against mildew, 
which frequently attacks the plants directly they are 
housed, if not before, they should be laid down and 
syringed all over with a solution of sulphide of potassium, 
using half an ounce to the gallon of soft water. Do not 
overcrowd the plants when housed, or indeed at any 
other time, for they must be allowed always to have 
plenty of air circulating round them. When flowering 
is over, cut the plants down to within six inches of the 
pots and remove them either to a cold frame, where 
they may be protected from severe frost, or to a light 
position in a cool greenhouse, giving for the time only 
a limited water supply and throwing them away after 
sufficient cuttings have been secured, for young plants 
are better than old ones for general purposes. 

Crassulas. — The Crassulas or Kalosanthes, as they are 
sometimes called, are easily grown. To flower them 



74 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



well, two important points in culture are always to give 
them the fullest possible amount of light, and to expose 
them fully in the open air during autumn as long as 
they are protected from actual frost, for this exposure 
gives the necessary check that " sets" the flower heads, 
and without it the plants, though remaining perfectly 
healthy, make only flowerless shoots. Big old plants 
that only flowered well in alternate years used to be 
much grown, but present day taste runs to smaller 
plants, and these must be raised from cuttings yearly. For 
this purpose, choose early in summer the tops of strong 
growths that do not promise to give flowers. Cut them 
off about four inches long, and, after stripping them of 
a few of the lower leaves, put them in a sunny place to 
dry for a day or two, then inserting them three or four 
round the edge of a five-inch pot which has been well 
drained and filled with a compost of one-half loam 
and one-sixth each of leaf mould, broken brick and 
sand. Give little or no water until they show signs 
of growth, and at no time must they be liberally supplied 
with water. If intended to flower the next summer, • 
the points of the shoots should be allowed to grow 
away without being stopped. On the other hand, 
those intended to be grown into large plants should 
be stopped in the spring, and, when they have begun 
to branch out, potted on into larger pots. After 
flowering, in summer they may occupy a cold frame, 
gradually giving them full exposure to light and air but 
protecting from heavy rains, and in winter a shelf close 
to the glass in a cool greenhouse will be a suitable 
position. Never give more artificial heat than is necessary 
to keep out frost, for heat starts the plants into flowerless 
growth. 

II 

Francoas. — Francoa ramosa has earned for itself the 
appropriate popular name of Bridal Wreath. Its chief 



MISCELLANEOUS PLANTS 75 



characteristic from a cultural point of view is its 
antipathy to anything like over watering, and it also 
resents being over potted. Indeed plants may be kept in 
good health for years without being repotted, and will 
give a good annual display of white wreaths with 
very little trouble in the way of culture, provided the 
above-mentioned points are remembered. It is hardy 
enough to stand frame culture all the year round, but, 
as frames are apt to be damp in winter, the best place 
for Francoas then is a dry shelf in the greenhouse. 
Young plants may be raised from seeds sown in spring 
in sandy soil and placed in an intermediate temperature. 
Pot off into small pots when fit to handle, and again 
into four and a half inch pots, which will be big enough 
for the first year, a furher potting taking place in the 
following spring. They may also be raised in a cold 
frame by sowing seeds in the autumn as soon as they 
ripen on the old plants, and this is the better way 
for those who cannot give heat in spring ; indeed I 
prefer this method in any case, providing that a light 
and drip-proof corner can be found for the seed pan in 
winter. Francoas thrive in a compost of loam, leaf 
mould and sand, using the latter very freely, and potting 
very firmly. 

Fuchsias. — The Fuchsia, when well grown, is a rather 
gross feeder and should be given good rich soil when 
potting, which should be done in the case of old plants 
just when new growth begins to push out after being 
pruned in spring, at which time no harm will be done by 
reducing the size of the old ball of soil somewhat, so as to 
give room for new soil without much increasing the size of 
pot. A mixture of half loam, one-quarter each of decayed 
cow manure and leaf mould with sufficient sand to keep 
the whole of an open nature will suit well. Pot with 
moderate firmness, syringe freely two or three times a 
day, giving very little water at the roots until the plant 



76 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



is seen to be growing freely, and shade from bright 
sunshine. Fuchsias delight in a house which is shut up 
early in the afternoon and heavily syringed daily, up to 
the time they show their flowers. Badly shaped or very 
thin plants may have their shoots pinched at the tips 
two or three times during the early summer, but this 
pinching must cease about seven weeks before they are 
expected to flower. 

To raise new plants, those who cannot command 
strong heat early in the year, should make cuttings of 
growing shoots without flower-buds in July or August, 
and strike these in cutting-pots in a cold frame, moving 
them to the greenhouse shelf when rooted, and keeping 
them slowly growing on all winter, potting them off 
early in spring and again later on when well rooted. 
It will be found necessary to repot again, this time into 
the flowering-pots, a few weeks later, as it is not 
advisable to give the plants a large quantity of new soil 
at one time. Pick off all flower-buds as they show, until 
the plants are large enough for flowering, when they 
should be given clear manure water at each alternate 
watering and never allowed to become dry at the root. 
If the plants are to be kept over winter, reduce the water 
supply when they finish flowering, and, when the soil is 
quite dry, store the plants in a frost proof shed or cellar 
until spring. If the wood shows signs of shrivelling 
during winter, spray it over occasionally with water but 
keep the roots dry. About the end of March, bring 
again to the greenhouse and prune into shape, cutting 
away all small and unripe wood. As a general rule, it may 
be said that the harder the plants are pruned, providing 
the foundation of a good shape is preserved, the better 
they will break and grow away again. For a few days 
after pruning, give no water, and very little will be 
needed until growth is well in progress. Fuchsias are 
subject to many insect pests, and especially so in houses 



HYDRANGEA H0RTENS1S 



MISCELLANEOUS PLANTS 79 



deficient in atmospheric moisture. If allowed to become 
infested with insects, they can never flower well or be 
in any way attractive. 

Hydrangeas. — A few of the Hydrangeas make excellent 
pot plants. They like a good, loamy soil, enriched with 
about one-third of decayed manure, and during the grow- 
ing season they enjoy plenty of water. Old plants should 
have all small shoots cut out entirely, during the winter 
or spring, leaving the stronger ones intact, as these will 
flower from the tips. Any strong new shoots showing 
at the base should be encouraged. On the number of 
strong well ripened shoots will depend the quantity of 
flowers produced. The "white flowered H. paniculata 
bears hard pruning, as it flowers well from growths 
of the current year. H. hortensis, the common sort, 
may be grown in a small form with one big head 
of flower to a plant under the following treatment, 
and this will indicate sufficiently the general treatment 
required by either old or young plants. In spring, 
cuttings should be made of strong young growths, 
that are not showing flower, and struck in a close 
frame putting only one cutting in a pot. When rooted, 
pot into five-inch pots and grow on freely, giving full 
exposure to the young plants towards the autumn. 
When the leaves drop, put the plants in a cool green- 
house and keep them dry at the roots all winter, 
resuming watering when growth commences in spring. 
After flowering, these plants may be kept to form 
bushy specimens ; and, to encourage a good habit, they 
should be cut down almost close to the ground and 
allowed to break into growth from the bottoms. 
Such plants should be potted into larger pots early 
in spring. 

Pelargoniums (Show). — Pelargoniums may be roughly 
divided into two sections, viz. Show and Zonal, each 
of distinct value for the greenhouse. They each con- 



8o THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



tain sub-sections, the treatment of which does not 
require special notice. Show Pelargoniums are very 
useful for flowering in the early summer. Old plants 
may be grown on year after year, the treatment being 
to remove the plants from the greenhouse directly they 
have flowered, putting them in a sunny spot in the open 
air and lessening the water supply gradually until, by 
the end of July, the wood is well ripened and the 
roots are quite dry. Cut back almost close to the base 
of the young wood, and stand in a frame so that rain 
may be kept off the plants, but expose to all fine 
weather. Sprinkle the stems daily, but do not water 
the soil until new shoots are appearing freely, and even 
then in only sufficient quantity to keep them plump. 
When an inch of new growth has been made, turn the 
plants out of the pots, cut away the longest roots and 
reduce the ball of soil to about half its size, then repotting 
firmly in a smaller pot that only allows a little room 
for new soil. The soil used should be fibrous loam 
that has been stacked for some months, and this should be 
pulled into fairly small pieces and mixed with about one- 
fourth of well decayed manure and a good sprinkling 
of silver sand. Return the plants to the frame and 
keep them there with their heads close to the glass, 
water carefully, and afford only the very lightest of 
shading in bright weather. Remove to a light shelf 
in the greenhouse when late autumn fogs set in, and 
keep the roots on the dry side. In December, pot 
into the flowering pots, which need not be over large, 
and which must not in any case exceed by more than 
two sizes those in which they have been growing. 
Most of these plants make more shoots than are 
required after pruning, and some of the weaker ones 
should be rubbed off, but any that do not make 
sufficient to begin with will do so if their points are 
pinched out in February ; this, of course, somewhat 



MISCELLANEOUS PLANTS 81 



retarding the flowering season. Plenty of ventilation 
is necessary, as the plants do not like a close atmo- 
sphere, neither will they stand much artificial heat. 
When the buds show, give weak manure-water occa- 
sionally. Propagate either in summer from half ripened 
shoots with their points intact, or at pruning time from 
ripened shoots the points of which have been cut 
out. Pelargoniums of this section are very much subject 
to attacks from green fly and must be often fumigated 
or syringed with tobacco water. 

Pelargoniums (Zona/e). — The use of these for green- 
houses in summer is well known, but what I wish to 
point out here is their extreme value as winter 
flowering plants. Take cuttings in February, striking 
these singly in three-inch pots, the cutting pots to 
be placed on a sunny shelf so that the cuttings become 
well hardened from the first. When well struck 
and growing, pinch out the points, which will cause 
new shoots to form, and, when these are an inch or 
two long, pot the plants into four and a half inch pots, 
ramming the soil firmly. Place in a garden frame exposed 
to full sun. About the end of June, pot again into six-inch 
pots, using a very sandy and fibrous loam lightened with 
a little decayed horse droppings. Keep all flowers 
pinched off during the summer, or say till the middle of 
September, then remove to a greenhouse with a dry atmo- 
sphere and a minimum temperature of 50 deg. to 55 deg., 
in which they will flower splendidly during the greater 
part of the winter. They should be grown close up 
to the light at all times and more especially so when 
flowering. All varieties are not equally free winter 
bloomers, but any nurseryman would suggest a good set 
of varieties for the purpose. 

Richardia Aethiopica. — -This plant is popularly known as 
the White Arum or Calla Lily. Though a native of the 
swamp, it requires, when used for pot work, a season of 



32 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



rest, and it is neglect of this that often leads to failure. 
Another point to remember is that it is a gross feeder, 
enjoying rich soil and manure without which it cannot 
make tubers strong enough to flower well. When the 
flowering season is over, give but little water for a couple 
of months, and put the plants in the open air early in June. 
When the growth is well matured, turn the plants out of 
their pots, dividing the tubers and retaining the stronger 
ones for repotting. A portion of the stock may be potted 
at once in loam, manure and sand, giving free drainage 
to carry off the large quantity of water required when 
growing freely. Stand in a cool frame or out of doors on 
a bed of ashes and remove to the greenhouse before 
frosty nights set in. This batch should flower early, and 
will be succeeded by the second portion which should 
be planted out in a trench partly filled with manure and 
soil. In this trench the plants will grow very strongly 
if kept well watered, as they should be, and early in 
September they must be lifted carefully and potted in 
pots large enough to contain most of the roots and 
sufficient soil to prevent them from feeling much check. 
For a few days after being potted and well watered in, 
they should be kept in a close frame and shaded, re- 
moving them afterwards to the greenhouse benches. 
The danger in growing under this system lies in keeping 
them growing too long in the trench before potting, for 
they then become unwieldy and do not take kindly to 
the pots. From the time that flowering commences, feed 
well with manure water, and never let the plants get at 
all dry when growing. Richardias are very subject to 
green fly, but must at all cost be kept free from this 
pest which will otherwise soon spoil all the spathes. 

Roses. — A batch of well-grown pot roses makes a 
charming addition to any collection of greenhouse 
plants, and they can be easily grown and prepared for 
the purpose. Contrary to the usual practice, I would 



MISCELLANEOUS PLANTS 83 



strongly advise all those who have only room for a few 
plants to let these be of the Hybrid Perpetual class and 
to eschew the Tea Roses charming as they are, for the 
former are not so subject to mildew, the bane of pot roses 
under glass, and, if they are not quite so free flowering^ 
their flowers have more substance and lasting power 
All varieties are not equally suitable for pots, but there 
are many in each class that are suitable, and one has a 
fairly wide choice in almost any colour that may be 
preferred. Before attempting to flower these roses 
under glass, it is necessary that good, strong plants 
shall have been for a season established in their pots. 
They may be safely kept in the open garden until they 
are wanted to commence growth, provided the pots are 
plunged to the rims in ashes. On bringing them under 
glass, the first thing to be done will be to cutout bodily 
all growths less in size than an ordinary cedar pencil, 
and to shorten the strong ones to within two or three 
buds of their junction with the older wood which forms 
the frame of the plant. Until the cuts dry over, keep 
the plants cool, after which they may be forced in a 
temperature of about 55 deg., rising gradually to 65 deg., 
or brought on slowly in the ordinary temperature of the 
greenhouse, but in any case they should be jealously 
guarded against draught at all times, very little air 
being given to the earliest batch of plants. Keep in 
the greenhouse until it is safe to move the plants 
outside, attending closely to their needs in the way of 
watering and giving manure water occasionally, for on 
the production of strong wood depends mainly the 
success for another year. To this end it is wise to 
rub out shoots that do not promise to be strong. 
Choose a sunny spot in the open for the summer 
quarters so that the growth may be well ripened. 
Early in autumn, any potting that may be necessary 
should be done, using rich turfy loam, a little sand, or 



84 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



lime rubble, and a sprinkling of crushed bone. Pot 
firmly and in well-drained pots. Well managed roses 
will go on in the same pots for some years, provided that 
much of the old soil is removed and replaced by fresh 
material each autumn, so that an annual repotting is 
unnecessary when they reach eight-inch and nine-inch 
pots. Roses are well known to be subject to green fly 
out of doors. Both this troublesome pest, and red spider 
also, will attack them under glass and must be given no 
quarter. The last named insect only troubles plants 
that have been grown in too dry an atmosphere. 

Salvia splendetu, — Other Salvias than this are good 
greenhouse plants, but the best form (S. splendens grandl- 
fiora) of the one named is by far the finest of all for pot 
work and gives a grand display of brilliant colour late in 
autumn, when brightness is most needed. It may be pro- 
pagated in spring either from young shoots made into 
cuttings and struck on a hot-bed, or from seeds saved 
from a good plant and raised in heat. The young plants 
are quick growing and must be kept on the move by 
repotting as often as necessary, using a mixture in which 
loam forms one-half, the other half being composed of 
equal portions of leaf mould, decayed animal manure, and 
sand. The final sized pots may be anything from eight 
inches to eleven inches according to the size of plant re- 
quired. When danger from frost is over, put the plants 
out of doors in a semi-shaded position, not overhung by 
trees, and, when they have grown about two feet high, 
pinch out the tops and allow all the side branches to 
develop at will. Before frost comes, remove again to the 
greenhouse where they are to flower. A temperature of 
50 deg.to 55 deg. will hold them in flower for a long while, 
and, if the proper variety has been grown, the calyces will 
remain bright for weeks after the flowers have dropped. 
This plant is not much subject to insects, but red spider 
sometimes gets on plants allowed to become too dry 



MISCELLANEOUS PLANTS 85 



or pot-bound, and to prevent this they should be well 
syringed every evening while in the open air. Shade 
should not be given except in summer, and must not be 
overdone then ; indeed all that is necessary in this way 
is to keep the pots cool and to prevent the plants from 
flowering too early. 



CHAPTER VIII 



Foliage Plants for the Greenhouse 

Although good flowering plants are such charming 
subjects for the greenhouse during their flowering 
period, there is another section, perennial in its charms, 
consisting of plants which are grown entirely for their 
beauty of form and of foliage. These are either non- 
flowering or they bear insignificant flowers that are not 
valued. Most of the plants mentioned in this chapter 
are of very easy culture, and as they do not require the 
ripening which is so essential to most flowering plants 
every year, and are content with only a moderate amount 
of light, they will be found suitable for badly-placed 
houses in which it is found difficult to grow flowers. 
The majority of these plants like a temperature a little 
higher than that given to the cool greenhouse, less 
ventilation, more humidity of atmosphere and shade. 

Ferns. — Chief among foliage plants come the ferns, 
and few need be told of the infinite variety of form or 
of the exquisite tints and shades which are to be found 
among this class. One cannot here go into detail as to 
the management of each species, but, fortunately, the chief 
points in greenhouse fern culture do not vary greatly. One 
of the essentials is a good supply of water, and, to enable 
the soil to withstand the effects of frequent watering with- 
out being turned sour, all pots or other receptacles should 
be exceptionally well drained, and the soil itself made 
extremely porous. 

A frequent cause of disaster to ferns of delicate 

86 



FOLIAGE PLANTS FOR GREENHOUSE 87 



root action is over-potting and using too deep a body 
of soil in the pots. A good depth of soil may be 
suitable for some of the strong growing Pterises, but 




DRACAENA THE SIRDAR 



for delicate Adiantums and all ferns that spread them- 
selves by creeping rhizomes it is especially wrong to 
pot or plant in a big body of soil, for with these the 



88 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



soil is merely a medium through which the necessary 
moisture is conducted to the plants, and if too much is 
used it is soon rendered unfit to perform its office and 
the roots die out and are not replaced. As a proof of 
this, one may frequently find in ferneries plants refusing 
to grow in elaborately made but too capacious pockets, 
while fine plants of the same varieties may be found 
growing well out of the merest crevices into which a 
rhizome may have chanced to escape, or a spore to have 
germinated, providing the position is such as to allow of 
a bountiful water supply. 

All potting operations should be carried out in spring 
just as the new fronds of the year are about to appear, 
for at this time the roots are fully active or will soon be- 
come so, and consequently the new soil is the sooner filled 
with roots. At the same time, if increase in number 
is desired, the tufted ferns may be split up, taking care 
that each division is well provided with crowns and with 
roots, so that each will soon make a good and shapely 
plant. 

The soil used in potting may be half fibrous loam, 
broken up as roughly as it can be used, with leaf mould 
and peat in equal proportions, and with the whole should 
be freely incorporated finely-broken brick, charcoal, or 
some other porous material, and a liberal amount of silver 
sand. 

Most greenhouse ferns may be raised from spores, the 
operation being a somewhat delicate one. Shallow pans 
should be half filled with crocks, and on these should be 
placed a very thin layer of the more fibrous and lumpy por- 
tions of the potting soil, pressing this flat, watering well, and 
then shaking over the surface a few fronds of the desired 
varieties which have ripe spores, ue. 9 the brown powdery 
substance found round the edges or spotted over the 
under sides of the fronds. The pans should then be placed 
in a damp and shady corner of the greenhouse and covered 



FOLIAGE PLANTS FOR GREENHOUSE 89 



with sheets of glass. They may be watered by partly 
immersing the pan, taking care not to let the water rise 
to the level of the surface ; or perhaps a better way is 
to stand the pan, as soon as sown, in another pan which 
will hold water, and to keep this partly filled so that 
absorption is constantly going on, but if this method is 
adopted see that the water is kept sweet by constant 
renewal. Rhizomatous ferns may be increased by 
securing a lump of soil to the rhizome near the end 
and severing this portion when roots have formed. A 
few ferns form young plants on the old fronds. Such 
may be easily detached and potted up in the usual way. 

Palms. — Next to ferns, the palms are perhaps the most 
desired of ornamental foliage plants, and many of these 
may be grown in quite a moderate temperature, provided 
other conditions are favourable. Few plants are happier 
under deep shade and in a very humid atmosphere dur- 
ing at least eight months of the year. Plants grown 
under these conditions require very small pots in propor- 
tion to their size, very seldom need repotting, and do 
not need nearly so large a quantity of water at the 
root as is generally given, provided that they get a 
good amount of overhead syringing. I do not mean to 
infer by this that the roots should ever be allowed 
to get dry, as this would be harmful, but would 
insist that the moisture shall be ever present in the 
atmosphere and on the externals of the plants, rather 
than poured in large bodies through the soil. When 
potting is necessary, it should be carried out in spring, 
and the soil used should be similar to that recommended 
for ferns and should be used in a lumpy condition, for the 
presence of much fine soil is wrong. The plants should be 
transferred to the smallest pots that will constitute what 
gardeners know as a " shift," allowing just room for 
a little new soil all round the ball. No soil should be 
put above the "collars" of the plants, as they like best 



9o THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



to rest on and not in the soil. So long as the plants 
remain healthy looking and good in colour, I would 
recommend that no repotting be done. This period will 
of course vary in length, according to the temperature 
kept up and the species which are grown. 

Palms may easily be raised from seeds sown in a fairly 
high temperature as soon as received, but for most people 
it is best to buy small plants from the nurseries. 

Aspidistras. — The Aspidistras are frequently given the 
popular name of Parlour Palms, indicative of their ability 
to bear the rough usage and neglect often met with by 
plants grown in dwelling-houses, and they well deserve 
the name. There are both green and variegated forms, 
the latter being rather more delicate, or at least more prone 
to lose portions of its variegated leaves, and to run back to 
the green type. This can only be prevented by cutting 
away the green leaves as they form, and by taking a little 
extra care to keep the plants out of the way of cold 
draught on the one hand and fire heat on the other, as 
either is calculated to kill the white tips and edges of the 
leaves. The simple culture necessary is to give rather 
a large supply of water during the greater part of the 
year and a little less in winter. Sponge the leaves fre- 
quently and dry them, especially those of the variegated 
form, before leaving them. Pot in spring when the 
plants become crowded with growths, and, if desired, 
divide them at the same time to increase stock. A good 
potting mixture is loam and leaf mould or peat in equal 
proportions with a liberal addition of sand, using plenty 
of drainage. 

Begonias. — Begonias of the Rex type are easily grown 
in pots of loam, peat and sand. They offer no diffi- 
culties of culture, provided they get a fairly high tem- 
perature, shade, and a liberal water supply during the 
summer. The best method of propagation is the curious 
one of raising several young plants from a single leaf. 



CORDYLINE 1NDIVJSA 



FOLIAGE PLANTS FOR GREENHOUSE 93 



It is carried out by filling a well-drained pan with com- 
post as for potting, sprinkling over this a further layer 
of sand, and then cutting a fully developed leaf with an 
inch or two of stem attached, imbedding the stem in the 
soil so that the leaf may lie flat on the surface, then 
scoring across the larger ribs of the leaf in various 
places. Sprinkle over each cut sufficient sand to 
weigh it flat down on to the soil, put into a warm 
house, and in the course of a few weeks young plants 
will have sprung from each severed mid-rib ; these may 
be detached and potted singly after they have formed a 
few roots. Perhaps a simpler method of propagation is 
to take off the points of growing shoots with two or 
three inches of stem, putting each singly in a small pot. 
Only just sufficient water to prevent extreme flagging 
should be given until the cuttings have taken root. 

Cordylines and Dracaenas. — For gardening purposes 
these may be classed together, the culture of the green- 
house species being identical. They make handsome 
plants in rather small pots and are indeed very useful 
for many purposes. Good loam, with peat or leaf mould 
and sand, is a suitable compost. Propagation is carried 
out in various ways. The tops may be converted into 
cuttings, but these require a hot and close place in 
which to take root quickly, and the better way is to 
take off a ring of bark just below the lowest leaves, or 
to make, with a sharp knife upward, sloping incisions on 
opposite sides of the stem, binding the latter with a big 
bunch of moss, and keeping this moistened until roots 
form, then separating the head below the moss and 
potting up in the usual way. As an alternative to the 
bunch of moss, a good plan is to split a small flower pot 
in half and enclose with it the stem where the ring 
or the incisions have been made, fix it fast and fill up 
with suitable soil which must be kept moist enough to 
induce root action. This is the safest mode of all, but 



94 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



pots are rather troublesome to split so that the halves 
may fit together again nicely. The above methods are 
used to obtain grown plants at orrce, but young stock 
may be raised by cutting into short lengths and splitting 
the old stems. The cuttings thus made may be laid flat 
in pans of soil or cocoanut fibre and slightly buried, and 
in a few weeks roots will form and buds will grow that 
eventually form plants. From the fleshy nodes or 
"toes" of the root stock, too, young plants can be 
obtained by adopting the same method except as re- 
gards splitting. Cordylines may, also, be raised from 
seeds quite easily, if the latter are obtainable in good 
condition. The seedlings make handsome little plants, 
useful for many purposes. C. australis is one of the 
easiest to obtain in this way, as seeds of this often ripen 
on big plants that grow outside in the warmer parts of 
England. 

Fatsia japonica. — This plant is perhaps better known 
as Aralia Sieboldi. Its large, glossy, palmate leaves are 
always admired in a good specimen. Being almost hardy, 
this is a suitable plant for the cool greenhouse. It 
grows well in any ordinary mixture of soil suitable for 
greenhouse plants and is not fastidious in its require- 
ments, but should always be kept in vigorous health by 
careful attention to watering, which must be ample 
during the summer, and to keeping the leaves clean by 
sponging frequently. To propagate the variegated 
forms of this plant, portions of the stem of an old plant 
must be cut up into short lengths and inserted as 
cuttings, keeping them in a rather close atmosphere 
until rooted. The green form is best raised from seeds 
sown in the ordinary way and placed in an intermediate 
temperature to germinate. Many people fail to raise 
seedlings owing to the fact that the seeds they get have 
lost their germinating power, as they do after a very 
few months of storing. Seeds ripen with us in April 



FOLIAGE PLANTS FOR GREENHOUSE 95 



and, if then sown almost directly, every seed will 
germinate. The prevailing custom of ordering in all 
seeds quite early in the year prevents the seedsmen from 
supplying new seeds of this plant. Order in April and 
insist on having new seeds. 

Ficus elastica. — The Indiarubber plant is a universal 
favourite. To be seen at its best for greenhouse pur- 
poses and for room decoration, it should be in the form 
of a single-stemmed plant, clothed from bottom to top 
with well developed leaves. Directly a plant gets leggy, 
it should be treated as advised for the tops of Cordylines, 
i.e., induced to root just below the lowest leaf into a 
bunch of moss, or a split pot, before cutting it away from 
the parent stem. In making the incisions from which 
roots will form cut into the stem to a depth of about one- 
third of its diameter on either side, leaving the remaining 
portion to draw up sap for the support of the top until it 
becomes self-supporting, when it may be cut away and 
kept shaded and well syringed for a few days. In green- 
houses with only a moderate amount of heat, this way of 
propagating should be carried out early in spring, so 
that the plants may be repotted and well rooted into 
the new soil before winter. Fibrous sandy loam with 
about a third of leaf mould is a suitable compost for the 
Ficus, and the pots need not be large in proportion to 
the plants. The leaves should be frequently sponged 
over with soft water, and every care taken to guard 
them from injury either through rough treatment or from 
scorching. The roots should be kept well watered and 
never allowed to become quite dry during the summer, 
but in winter only a limited supply should be given, the 
aim being to keep the plant both from flagging and 
from growing, for new leaves made during winter in a 
low temperature are certain to be defective and will 
spoil the symmetry of the specimen. 



CHAPTER IX 



Little Town Greenhouse 

The possibilities of the Town Greenhouse depend, in 
addition to its construction and aspect, very largely on 
the size and especially on the nature of the industries 
of the town itself. Where the air is pure and wholesome, 
the town grower of plants has, with certain limitations, 
almost as much chance of growing good plants as his 
peer in the country, but in operative districts with air 
full of smoke or vitiated with chemicals, the grower's 
lot is not a happy one, and, unless he is endowed with 
more than the normal amount of patience and per- 
severance, the contents of his greenhouse will generally 
be found poor in quality and very deficient in the way 
of variety. The owner of the little town greenhouse 
is generally a person with business engagements that 
prevent the constant attention required by many plants, and 
this largely discounts the probabilities of success. Such an 
one should not attempt to fill his house or houses with 
a mixture of plants of diverse nature, as more pleasure 
would be gained in taking up one class of plant — and 
that one not too fastidious in its requirements. Take, 
for instance, the Cacti and other succulent plants, and 
we find a most interesting group, the study of which 
is fascinating, the labour attached to its cultivation light, 
and that will bear with impunity neglect which would 
be absolutely fatal to very many of the plants treated 
of in this little work. It must not be inferred from this 
that no skill is required in their culture : on the contrary 
9 6 



LITTLE TOWN GREENHOUSE 99 



there is much to learn as to their successful management, 
and many chapters might be written on them alone, but 
what I wish to convey about them is that their needs are 
not constantly in evidence ; sunshine and cloud may 
succeed each other rapidly without doing them harm, 
and a few hours' neglect in the matter of watering may 
be viewed with equanimity, for most cactaceous plants 
will thrive on a very limited water supply; indeed, this is 
a matter that requires study, for it is far easier to give 
them too much than it is to refrain at the proper time. 
Again we will suppose that the greenhouse has a bad 
aspect, i.e., does not get a full amount of daylight or sun- 
light ; the owner will in such a case be wise in devoting his 
house to ferns and other plants which like shade, making 
no attempt to grow flowers, except possibly a few 
imported bulbs for spring effect, or Streptocarpus, or 
any of the few other flowering plants which do really 
well in shady houses. 

Injudicious mixing of plants spells failure in the town, 
and also indeed in the country greenhouse, and must be 
avoided by all who wish to grow their plants well. As an 
object lesson, I would advise any owner of a greenhouse 
who wishes to grow many mixed species of plants in the 
same house to go first to one of our big town nurseries 
and note how the plants are distributed in them. It will be 
found that each house used for growing plants contains but 
one class of occupant. Probably the most attractive house 
in the nursery, viz., the "Show" house, will contain 
quite a mixture of plants, but these are only brought 
together for show purposes and soon go back again to 
their proper quarters, for no nurseryman would dream 
of attempting to grow them all together. Such Show 
houses are delusive in the extreme to those who do not 
understand the subject, and fill the mind with envy of 
the means by which such a display is brought about, 
but, when one looks at the matter with some knowledge 

LofC. 



ioo THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



of the subject, one plainly sees the impossibility of 
emulating such success except under the similar 
conditions of having many other houses from which to 
draw the plants needed to keep the Show house gay. 
By dealing rather largely with varieties of a few species 
that may be well grown together, one gets the pleasures 
of comparison and of noting the differences which add so 
much to the attractions of the flowers. Through this 
channel comes the love which one gets from one's plants, 
a very different feeling from the pride of having a so- 
called good "collection" of plants. 

Many dwellers in towns find great pleasure in the 
cultivation of Orchids, and, as there are many of these 
quaint and beautiful plants which may be grown in a 
cool house, when their requirements are understood 
and catered for, and as fresh importations are being 
frequently and cheaply sold,- there is little to pre- 
vent any one who has a greenhouse from attempting 
their culture. A point in their favour for small houses, 
with limited accommodation, is that they grow but 
slowly and are not constantly becoming in need of more 
room either as regards the roots or the top-growth. 
Orchids require special treatment of their own, but are 
not by any means difficult plants when once the details 
as to temperatures, the principles of watering, applica- 
tion of shade and ventilation are mastered. Many of 
these plants gather most of their moisture through 
their aerial roots, and this has of course to be provided 
by the atmosphere of the house. Many of them, too, 
have a fairly long resting season during which the 
supply of water must be strictly limited with a view of 
preventing out of season growth which would be 
calculated to throw the plants out of gear, and this in 
turn would prevent the production of good flowering 
growths. Strong root growth made at the proper 
season lays the foundation for good health and successful 



LITTLE TOWN GREENHOUSE 101 



results in the way of flowers. Plant pests such as 
wood-lice and slugs are ever on the alert to attack and 
devour the fleshy roots as they form, and must be 
circumvented by constant watching for and killing. 
Most of the plants mentioned in this book are good for 
town culture providing the surroundings are not too much 
shut off from fresh air and light. For badly placed 
houses it would be wise to eschew most of the hard- 
wooded plants and to use more freely those which are 
mentioned in the chapter on foliage plants, as these are 
not dependent on being well ripened each year. Azaleas 
flower well in towns but are not to be depended on to 
ripen wood and form good flowering buds each year. 

Pelargoniums are liable to lose their flowers during 
foggy weather, and it would be useless to attempt 
growing the Zonale section for winter flowering in the 
urban districts of a big town where fogs are prevalent, 
indeed fog is the worst element with which the would- 
be town gardener has to contend, for the danger of 
admitting fog through the ventilators adds much to the 
difficulties of affording proper ventilation. During long 
continued foggy weather the flowers of many plants 
will succumb in spite of all care. All ventilation given 
at such times should be at the apex of the house and the 
atmosphere within must be made sufficiently buoyant 
by the use of fire heat to keep the fog at bay as much 
as possible. 



CHAPTER X 



Conclusion 

Having given in the foregoing chapters some idea of the 
correct treatment of many plants from which selections 
may be made that will, if judiciously treated and catered 
for, give a more or less brilliant display of flowers in 
the well-appointed greenhouse all the year round, I 
should like in conclusion to say a few words as to the 
possibilities of the cold or inadequately heated house. 
There are many plant lovers with limited means or 
accommodation, who struggle on, trying with infinite pains 
to grow the ordinary greenhouse plants and failing for 
want of means to keep up the requisite heat in winter. 
To all so placed I would suggest the growing of plants 
that only require sufficient heating power to exclude 
actual frost and to add to these for the sake of 
variety some of our hardy plants that are suited for 
growing in pots. The Primula family alone, including 
as it does the Auricula, loved, and almost worshipped, 
by the florist of the past generation, is rich in species 
which do admirably in the cold greenhouse, many 
being happier and more at home under glass than they 
are in the open garden. Hardy bulbs of almost all 
kinds do well in pots for a season at least, and Anemones, 
Wallflowers, Stocks, Pinks, Phloxes, Columbines, Forget- 
me-nots, Campanulas, Pansies, Christmas and Lenten 
Roses, Michaelmas Daisies, hardy annuals of sorts, 
and a host of other things may be pressed into the 
service. All these render a good account of themselves 

I02 



CONCLUSION 



in the greenhouse which has its share of sunlight, while, 
for the badly placed or shaded house, there are Ferns 
without stint. Houses filled with such things may be 
maintained at very little cost, and the pleasure derived 
from them is great. There are no great worries in the 
way of heating arrangements or attention, provided that 
the owner rigorously excludes all very tender plants, or 
grows these only through the summer months and gets 
a fresh supply each year. Ambition to keep such things 
along with others that need only cool treatment often 
leads to all-round failure, and he only is happy who, 
having a proper estimate of his environment, does not 
attempt too much. 



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Outside the Garden. By Helen Milman (Mrs 
Caldwell Crofton). With 24 Illustrations and Cover 
by Edmund H. New. Crown 8vo. Price 5s. net. 

" 'Outside the Garden' fully maintains Mrs Crofton's reputation as one 
of Nature's keenest observers." ( Daily Chronicle.) 



My Roses and How I Grew Them. By 

Helen Milman (Mrs Caldwell Crofton). With a 
Cover designed by Edmund H. New. Crown 8vo. 
Price 1 s. 6d. net. Third Edition. 

" Pleasantly written. . . . The book is such that a novice might 
implicitly follow, while the more experienced may find useful hints." 

{Garden.) 



Flowers and Gardens. By Forbes Watson. 
With Photogravure Portrait of the Author. Edited, 
with a Biographical Note by Canon Ellacombe. 
Crown 8vo. Price 5s. net. 



Garden-Craft Old and New. By John d. 

Sedding. With a Memorial Notice by the Rev. 
E. F. Russell, and nine full-page Illustrations. 
New Edition. Demy 8vo, gilt top. Price 7s. 6d. net. 



The Birds of My Parish. By E. H. pollard. 

With Collotype Illustrations. Crown 8vo. Price 
5s. net. 

" Evelyn Pollard has a very delightful style of writing, and the story of 
the Birds of her Parish is charming." {Shooting Times.) 



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